Ecuador’s influential Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (CONAIE) declared Wednesday they will not back incumbent President Daniel Noboa in April’s presidential runoff.
Indigenous leader Leonidas Iza announced the decision alongside several leftist social organizations, potentially shifting the balance in Ecuador’s tightly contested election.
“Not a single vote for the neoliberal right-wing project led by Daniel Noboa,” stated CONAIE in their official resolution. The organization instead presented leftist candidate Luisa González with a list of demands for potential support.
Noboa narrowly defeated González by less than one percentage point in February’s first-round election. The razor-thin margin elevates Iza, who secured 5.25% of first-round votes, to potential kingmaker status in the April 13 runoff.
Indigenous votes remain divided across Ecuador. CONFENIAE, an Amazonian indigenous confederation affiliated with CONAIE, has expressed support for Noboa while seeking policy dialogues. The party of former candidate Andrea González, who received 2.69% in February, also backs the incumbent.
CONAIE’s demands to González include halting large-scale mining operations, ending Noboa’s military campaign against criminal organizations, and reducing the value-added tax from 15% to 12%. They also oppose Ecuador’s agreements with the International Monetary Fund and demand debt forgiveness for debts under $10,000.
Ecuador’s Political Tensions
Tensions between indigenous communities and Noboa’s administration intensified in recent months. Indigenous groups staged protests against government plans to build maximum-security prisons on ancestral lands without proper consultation.
Noboa, the 37-year-old heir to a business fortune, has implemented security measures against criminal gangs and raised taxes to fund these initiatives during his shortened term. His administration maintains close ties with international investors and promotes resource extraction projects.
González represents former president Rafael Correa’s political movement and promotes policies focused on social welfare and wealth redistribution. She formally thanked CONAIE for their position, calling it “a historic step toward building a dignified project.”
The upcoming election represents a fundamental choice between competing development visions. Noboa emphasizes foreign investment and security operations, while González and CONAIE advocate for environmental protection and indigenous sovereignty.
Financial analysts watch the race closely as Ecuador’s political stability affects investment confidence in the country’s resource-rich regions.
