As Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa claims victory in a contested election, Noboa’s leftist rival Luisa González is challenging the results, calling Noboa a “dictator” who committed election fraud to be reelected. The widow of former candidate Fernando Villavicencio also released a new video seemingly confirming allegations that Noboa had been involved in an attempt to frame a third candidate for Villavicencio’s assassination during the 2023 presidential election. Journalist José Olivares, who reported on the allegations for Drop Site, responds to the new video and the Noboa administration’s “cozying up” to Donald Trump and his allies, including the notorious private military contractor Erik Prince.

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, as we turn to Ecuador, where President Daniel Noboa won reelection in a runoff vote Sunday, according to preliminary results.

PRESIDENT DANIEL NOBOA: [translated] This event has been historic. The victory has also been historic, a victory of more than 10 points, a victory of more than 1 million votes, where there’s no doubt who the winner is. And it is based on perseverance, struggle, work of each of the members of this team, of this team that seeks this new Ecuador.

AMY GOODMAN: But Noboa’s leftist rival, Luisa González, the successor of former President Rafael Correa, is challenging the official results.

LUISA GONZÁLEZ: [translated] One of the exit polls gave us victory. None showed a difference like the one we are seeing at the Electoral Council. None. Therefore, I report, before my people, before the media, before the world, that Ecuador is experiencing a dictatorship. We are facing the worst and most grotesque electoral fraud in the history of the Republic of Ecuador.

AMY GOODMAN: Daniel Noboa is a business magnate, heir to a banana industry fortune, who’s made cracking down on crime his main priority. He’s been condemned for skirting legal........

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