During an interview broadcast by the presidency of Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa referred, on Tuesday (11), to the results of the elections of Sunday, February 9. Without presenting evidence, Noboa said that, in his opinion, there were alleged “irregularities” in the results that refer the country to a second electoral lap between Noboa and the Correism candidate, Luisa González.
“There were many irregularities. We kept telling, we continued to review in certain provinces and there were things that didn’t beat. They even did not beat the rapid count of the OAS, which placed us with a larger number, ”said Noboa, without evidence or details of his allegations.
A CNN He consulted the Presidency of the Republic to find out if Noboa will present evidence and details about the alleged irregularities he exposed during the interview on Tuesday and is awaiting an answer.
He answered it through a statement, stating that data from the National Electoral Council (CNE) rapid counting coincide with the data obtained through the rapid count performed independently by the mission and that “remains within the margin of error.”
“The results reflect that there will be a second round (…) the mission so far has not identified or received evidence of widespread irregularities that may alter the results of the election. At the same time, it invites for any complaint to the competent authorities, ”emphasized the OAS mission.
In turn, the Mission of Electoral Observation of the European Union (EU), during the presentation of its Preliminary Electoral Report in Quito, spoke upon noboa allegations, discarding the possibility that fraud had occurred in the process.
“We do not have a single objective element that indicates that there was any kind of fraud,” said Gabriel Mato, head of the European Union mission.
Mato qualified the elections as “transparent, well organized and peaceful, with pending challenges and a second round on the horizon.”
“The CNE organized the elections in a transparent and efficient way, although confidence in the electoral authorities remained very low … Nevertheless, electoral preparations occurred without setbacks and according to the electoral calendar,” the body specified in his preliminary report .
The mission also commented on the counting of the votes. “The investigation was considered transparent and reliable, although it could have benefited from greater training. Just six hours after closing, the CNE had already sued and published the minutes of presidential results in 75% of the voting tables, also ensuring the transparency and traceability of its transmission, ”said the Mission of the European Union.
Through a statement, the National Electoral Council welcomed what was exposed by the EU mission and insisted that it guarantees the transparency of the process.
“The CNE reaffirms its commitment to Ecuadorian democracy and the guarantee of fair and transparent elections. The institution will continue to work on the consolidation of modern, reliable and inclusive electoral processes, strengthening the confidence of citizenship and the international community in the country’s electoral system, ”he said.
During the campaign, the president and his supporters promoted messages and advertising about a possible victory in the first round, something that after the elections was not possible, because neither he nor the main opposing candidate, Luisa González, reached the necessary votes.
In the early afternoon of Tuesday and with 97% of the processed minutes, the CNE maintains a tight margin between: Noboa, with 44.17%, and González, with 43.94% of the votes.
