‘What has happened is a systematic setup aimed at forcibly imposing an authoritarian project led by Noboa,’ they said.

On Sunday, over 13.7 million Ecuadorians were called to elect their next president between Citizen Revolution candidate Luisa Gonzalez, who had led the polls for weeks, and President Daniel Noboa, who was seeking reelection for the 2025-2029 term.

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Hours after the official vote count began, the National Electoral Council (CNE) announced Noboa as the winner of the presidential election, while attributing to Gonzalez a lower number of votes than she obtained in the first round.

In response to the events, the Citizen Revolution candidate rejected the results presented by the CNE, claimed electoral fraud, and demanded a full and exhaustive recount of the votes.

Also surprised by the events, national and international social and political organizations expressed their rejection of the disrespect for the democratic will of Ecuadorians, who went to vote in the midst of a 60-day “State of Exception” declared just hours before and which restricts basic political and civil rights.

Below is the reaction of the social organizations of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC-Social):

“From the CELAC Social International collective, and in our capacity as participants and observers of the electoral process in Ecuador, we raise our voices to strongly denounce the serious attack against the popular will committed during the recent presidential elections.

What has happened in this country is not merely a case of administrative irregularities: it is a systematic setup aimed at forcibly imposing an authoritarian project led by Daniel Noboa, whose rise to power lacks democratic legitimacy.

The signs of fraud are numerous and alarming: last-minute changes to polling places, arbitrary use of state resources for clientelist purposes, the deliberate exclusion of international observers, and the unacceptable suspension of the vote for thousands of Ecuadorians living abroad.

These actions clearly represent a pattern of institutional manipulation that turns this process into a mockery of the most basic principles of popular sovereignty. Added to this is the imposition of a ‘State of Emergency’ selectively targeted at historically resistant territories, which shows that this government does not seek support from the people, but rather relies on repression.

Noboa, far from governing for the majority, has deployed a power structure sustained by privatized security forces and alliances with foreign interests that pursue a model of control and fear.

We warn that this anti-democratic operation was carefully planned, with months of preparation, using the state apparatus to pave the way for an authoritarian regime that serves economic elites and foreign agendas more than the Ecuadorian people.

In light of this situation, we urgently call for organization, active resistance, and popular mobilization. It is in the streets, in the neighborhoods, in the communities, and in every corner of struggle that the defense of democracy must be upheld. The solidarity of the peoples of our America and the world is more necessary now than ever.

Authoritarianism is not to be negotiated with—it must be confronted. Always with the people.

CELAC Social remains steadfast in the struggle, on the side of dignity, democracy, and the sovereignty of the peoples!”

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: teleSUR- CELAC Social

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