Ecuador's Recount Denied Again Amid Fraud Allegations

Ecuador's elections authority rejected a recount request from the leftist opposition, citing it as inadmissible. President Daniel Noboa was confirmed as the winner of the April election runoff. Despite allegations of irregularities from Luisa Gonzalez and Rafael Correa, final results showed Noboa leading comfortably.

Ecuador's elections authority has rejected, for a second time, a request from the leftist opposition for a recount of presidential votes from thousands of ballot boxes, deeming it inadmissible. This comes after accusations of electoral fraud and alleged irregularities in tally sheets purportedly affecting over a million votes.

Electoral authorities, alongside outside observers and even members from Luisa Gonzalez's own bloc, have recognized Daniel Noboa as the legitimate winner of the April 13 presidential runoff, thereby securing a full term in office for him. Gonzalez and her political mentor, former president Rafael Correa, continue to contest the election results.

According to the final vote tally, Daniel Noboa received 55.63% of the votes, compared to Gonzalez's 44.37%. Despite the National Electoral Council's (CNE) latest decision, Gonzalez still holds the option to escalate the matter to Ecuador's elections court.

(With inputs from agencies.)