SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Ecuador is famous for its beaches and its capital city, Quito, high in the foothills of the Andes. But in the past few years, Ecuador has been dragged into a brutal international drug war, resulting in one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America. That has helped make tomorrow's elections one of the country's most important in years. NPR's Carrie Kahn joins us from Ecuador. Hey, Carrie.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Hi.
DETROW: So let's start with this - where are you, and what is the mood like there?
KAHN: I'm in Guayaquil. It's the biggest city in Ecuador. It's also its economic center here. Unfortunately, this port city and surrounding towns have become the most dangerous and deadly. As for the mood, I'd say people are just guarded and anxious for this election to come to an end. They're exhausted from the violence that's engulfed the country in recent years. And actually, in recent months, January and February of this year have been the most violent ever recorded, with a homicide every hour being reported.
DETROW: Wow. Can you just contextualize that for us a little more? Why has this violence erupted so quickly?
KAHN: First, it's been several years of gang violence here, with the last few increasingly brutal as gangs splinter and fight for territory. Ecuador, in geography, is sandwiched between Colombia and Peru. Those are the biggest cocaine producers in the world. And Ecuador brings a lot of other advantages besides geography. It's a dollar economy. Money laundering is easier here. Its visa laws had always been lax, and that allowed a lot of foreigners to easily come in. And corruption is widespread.
It has extensive ports and a long Pacific coastline, lending great access to routes to the U.S. and also to Europe, which has seen a surge in cocaine use. Currently, there are Mexican, Colombian and even Albanian cartels operating here, and, of course, together with the Ecuador - Ecuador's local gangs, which have proliferated as the economy has stalled out here, too.
DETROW: So that is the context for this election, which is a runoff. The winner will be president for the next four years. Tell us about the two candidates.
KAHN: Right. The race is a repeat of the 2023 snap elections, and the current president who won those has been in power for only 16 months. He's 37-year-old Daniel Noboa. He's the son of the richest man here in Ecuador. The family business is bananas, one of Ecuador's largest exports. Noboa is a close ally of President Trump, and he's probusiness. He's pro-free trade.
His opponent, again, is a leftist, former lawmaker and lawyer, Luisa Gonzalez. She's 47 and is a very close ally of the former firebrand leftist president Rafael Correa, who ruled Ecuador for 10 years. He's in self-imposed exile after being convicted of corruption, but he still has a lot of sway and a loyal base here.
DETROW: I mean, is it fair to say that the crime and violence are the big issue for voters, given all of this?
KAHN: Yes, it is the issue. It seems as if everyone has been hit by the crime wave here. But you also hear a lot about former President Correa still, too. He's been out of power for nearly 10 years, so it's kind of crazy to hear so much about him, but there is a lot of polarization. His supporters look fondly on his rule. They tend to gloss over his corruption charges. His detractors blame him for much of the current economic and security crisis now. And like Correa, they say Gonzalez will bring socialism to Ecuador.
Both candidates, though, say they will keep relying on the military for fighting the drug gangs. President Noboa has declared a state of emergency and declared he is fighting an internal war against terrorists. He's asked Trump personally for U.S. military assistance and even to put a base here. Gonzalez says that's a violation of Ecuadorian sovereignty, and she says she'll put more money into social programs and in hard-hit communities.
DETROW: All of this settled in the election tomorrow - that is NPR's Carrie Kahn in Ecuador. Thank you so much.
KAHN: You're welcome.
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