International
What will the second round of Ecuador’s elections be like?
October 13 |
Next Sunday, October 15, the presidential candidate of Revolución Ciudadana (RC), Luisa González, and the candidate of the coalition Acción Democrática Nacional (ADN), Daniel Noboa, will face each other in the second round of the early elections in Ecuador.
More than 13 million Ecuadorians will go to the polls to choose who will be their president. This is the second round of voting after in the first round held last August 20 none of the candidates achieved a simple majority of 50 percent plus one.
The winner will succeed Guillermo Lasso and will finish the presidential term 2021-2025, due to the fact that, in May 2023, the current president decreed the dissolution of the National Assembly at the same time as the end of his presidential term, a mechanism called “muerte cruzada”, which allows calling for early general elections.
Daniel Noboa, 35, is a businessman and son of Alvaro Noboa, who was a presidential candidate on several occasions. Noboa seeks to create tax incentives and tax exemptions for new businesses. In terms of security, he wants to strengthen the judicial system, combat cyber crimes and improve the prison system.
The candidate of former President Rafael Correa’s party, Luisa Gonzalez, 45, became the first woman to obtain such a significant percentage in the first round of presidential elections with 33 percent of the votes in her favor, she advocates fighting crime, corruption and strengthening the judiciary.
Several pollsters authorized by the National Electoral Council (CNE) have presented their latest figures to the population.
The company Comunicaliza indicates that 41.5 percent of the Ecuadorians consulted would opt for Daniel Noboa. While the candidate Luisa Gonzalez, obtains 36.4 percent. In addition, 12.4 percent are still undecided as to who they will vote for, while 9.7 percent will decide to vote blank or null.
According to the results of the pollster Telcodata, the representative of Alianza Democrática would have 36.7 percent, while the candidate of the Revolución Ciudadana movement would have 36.4 percent. Although everything would be decided by those who still do not know for whom they will vote, since this group represents 15.9 percent.
Another pollster called Negocios & Estrategias places Noboa in first place with 39 percent, but Gonzalez with 38.63 percent, which reflects the tightness of this second round. And 17.07 percent still have not decided for whom they will vote.
In Ecuador voting is mandatory for the majority of the population. Voting is imperative for citizens between 18 and 65 years of age, for young people between 16 and 17 years of age and for active duty members of the Police and Armed Forces.
In the event that any person fails to comply with his obligation to participate in the elections, a fine of 10 percent of the minimum wage will be imposed. Persons over 65 years of age, health professionals working on election day, if they were sick, disabled, had a domestic calamity, were involved in a traffic accident or if they were out of the country will be exempted from paying the fine.
International
Bolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer amid coup conviction
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been diagnosed with skin cancer while serving a historic sentence for attempting a coup d’état. His medical team confirmed that the lesions have been removed and that, for now, he does not require further procedures, though he will need regular monitoring.
On Wednesday, September 17, Bolsonaro’s doctors confirmed the diagnosis. The announcement comes shortly after the former leader was convicted of orchestrating an attempted coup.
According to his physician, Claudio Birolini, Bolsonaro has “squamous cell carcinoma, which is neither the most benign nor the most aggressive form — it is intermediate.” Birolini warned, however, that this type of skin cancer “can carry more serious consequences.”
International
Milei praises Paraguay’s growth, calls Argentina’s last 20 years a ‘decline’
Argentine President Javier Milei praised Paraguay’s economic growth over the past two decades during a speech before the Paraguayan Congress on Wednesday (Sept. 17, 2025), crediting it to incentives that favored capitalism. At the same time, he contrasted that progress with what he described as Argentina’s deepening “decline” during the same period.
“If we compare the last 20 years of Paraguay with those of the Argentine Republic, we will find almost diametrically opposite results,” Milei told lawmakers during a special session of Parliament on the second and final day of his official visit to Asunción.
“While you have not stopped growing, we have deepened our decline. If we understand incentives as the engine of capitalism, Paraguay focused on preserving and strengthening them, while Argentina dedicated itself to chaining, directing, and suffocating them,” the right-wing leader stated.
International
Trump administration launches large-scale immigration operation in Chicago
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump intensified a large-scale immigration operation in the Chicago area with the arrival of additional Border Patrol agents on Tuesday and the presence of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem during a raid.
Noem posted a video on her X account showing the immigration operation, in which DHS reportedly removed “violent criminals” from the streets. The footage shows Noem observing the arrest of a man taken into custody at his home early Tuesday morning at an undisclosed location.
“I was in Chicago today to make it clear that we will not back down,” the secretary wrote. “Our work is just beginning,” she added.
The warning from Noem was echoed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Gregory Bovino, who posted a video on X Tuesday showing multiple Border Patrol vehicles arriving in the city with the caption: “Chicago, we are here!”
Bovino, who led the immigration crackdown in Los Angeles implemented since last June, said the team will remain in Chicago to continue the mission they started in California.
Operation “Midway Blitz” is currently focused on the Chicago metropolitan area and its suburbs. Activists and residents have reported sightings of masked agents and unmarked vehicles in predominantly Latino neighborhoods.
Bolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer amid coup conviction
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