Ecuador’s President-elect Daniel Noboa speaks after receiving his credentials from Ecuador’s National Electoral Council, in Quito, Ecuador, November 15, 2023. Reuters/Karen Toro/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
QUITO, Nov 23 (Reuters) – Business heir Daniel Noboa was sworn in as Ecuador’s new president on Thursday, pledging to reduce violence and create jobs via urgent legislative reforms.
Noboa, 35, won a runoff vote in October on promises to restore security and boost employment in the South American country, which has faced economic challenges since the coronavirus pandemic, pushing thousands to migrate.
Violence on the streets and in prisons, blamed on criminal groups by former President Guillermo Lasso, has spiked in recent years. Bloodshed reached an unprecedented crescendo with the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.
“To fight violence we must fight unemployment, the country needs jobs and to create them I will send urgent reforms to the assembly, which should be treated responsibility and by putting the country first,” Noboa said during his maiden speech in front of National Assembly lawmakers in Quito.
Noboa will serve as president for just 17 months, finishing Lasso’s term after the latter brought forward elections to avoid likely impeachment.
It will be hard for Noboa to effectively tackle Ecuador’s significant challenges during his truncated term, analysts said, though he can run for re-election in 2025.
Reporting by Alexandra Valencia
Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb and Oliver Griffin
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