The Take

The Take: Can Ecuador’s next president stop the cartels?

Voters face decision in one of the world’s most dangerous countries.

A crossed ballot is pictured during the re-tallying for votes of the presidential and parliamentary election at Pichincha Provincial Electoral Delegation, in Quito, Ecuador February 10, 2025. [Karen Toro/Reuters]

Ecuador heads to the polls gripped by spiraling violence and political uncertainty. Once one of South America’s safest nations, it now has the highest homicide rate in the region. The presidential run-off pits Daniel Noboa, the incumbent who’s militarised the streets, against Luisa Gonzalez, a left-winger promising social reform. Both offer starkly different futures. Which will voters choose?

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In this episode:

Manuela Picq (@lamanuelapicq), professor of international relations, Amherst College

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Tamara Khandaker, Sonia Bhagat, and Ashish Malhotra, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Khaled Soltan, Mariana Navarrete, Melanie Marich, Remas Alhawari, Kisaa Zehra, and our guest host, Natasha Del Toro. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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Source: Al Jazeera