The president of Ecuador, Daniel Novoa, swore for the second term, promises to fight drug trafficking, violent crime

Quito – President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa He was officially sworn on Saturday after his re -election for another four -year period earlier this year.

Nemaa, 37, who had a presidential girdle about his chest, swore together with his vice president María José Pinto, and his terms will last until May 2029.

The young president, who has become known for his fight against a wave of armed group violence in the South American country, promised his inauguration speech to continue addressing corruption, drug trafficking and violent crime. He also swore to implement reforms and said he would sit “a solid basis for the creation and investment of employment” working with the private sector of Ecuador.

“We are at the four -year door,” he said.

The ceremony in the capital, Quito, was attended by health secretary Robert Kennedy, Colombian president Gustavo Petro, Peruvian president Dina Boluarte and many other international guests and delegates.

An intelligence evaluation of the United States completed before the elections concluded that a victory for Neboa against challenger Luisa González would better serve the interests of the United States in the next four years. The Trump administration has been reflecting on the establishment of a permanent military presence of the United States in the South American country.

Novoa was the first elected as president In November 2023 at 35, with little political experience. Unexpectedly he entered the race and was chosen to complete the term of his predecessor, Guillermo Lasso, who had dissolved the assembly and resigned to avoid political trial.

Neloa was re -elected on April 13 in a second round against left -wing candidate Luisa González, who has made repeated accusations of electoral fraud. His party of the Citizen Revolution, led by former President Rafael Correa, boycotted Saturday’s ceremony, despite the fact that González’s claims were rejected by Ecuador’s electoral authority and national and international observers.

Violence and high levels of unemployment remain the greatest challenges facing the president and his National Democratic Action Party, which could also keep the majority in the country’s congress through a series of political alliances.

Maintain that the majority will be crucial for Neboa by promoting their agenda, including a bill to fight crime marked as “urgent” by its economic implications. The proposal has already received opposition criticism.

Juan Francisco Camino, a professor at the Equinoctial Technological University, said that the narrow majority of Nebnoa could easily change balance.

“Only a lost vote of his allies could paralyze his plans,” he said on an interview.

When asked if Nemaa could change his government approach in this new term, Camino predicted continuity, especially with the government’s approach in using state power to combat crime, which said “sells legitimacy.”

Ecuador is one of the more dangerous countries In the region, with around 8,000 violent deaths for the end of 2024 and the crime continues to increase by 2025. Last year, masked men broke into the set of a public television channel in Ecuador, stirring weapons and explosives during a live broadcast and the president issued a decree declaring that the country had entered into an “internal armed conflict.”

Camino emphasized that Neboa must “look beyond security” and focus on the reconstruction of the social fabric of Ecuador, especially in areas such as jobs, medical care and education.

Others said it was important to focus on the fundamental causes of violence, such as the lack of opportunities that often push young people to join criminal groups. Only 33% of Ecuadorians had full -time jobs at the end of last year, and the rest worked in the informal economy.

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James Laporta contributed to this report.