Ecuador opposition appeals presidential vote results to electoral court

May 3, 2025 - 10:24
Ecuador opposition appeals presidential vote results to electoral court
An electoral official counts ballots at a polling station during the presidential election, in Montanita, Ecuador April 13, 2025. REUTERS/David Diaz Arcos/File Photo

Ecuador's opposition Citizens' Revolution party said on Friday it has appealed the results of April's presidential contest to the electoral court, the country's top authority on suffrage and the final stop for fraud allegations by the leftist party.

The National Electoral Council (CNE), outside observers and even some members of Citizens' Revolution have recognized President Daniel Noboa as the winner of an April 13 presidential runoff, securing him a full term.

But ex-candidate Luisa Gonzalez and her mentor, former president Rafael Correa, insist thousands of tally sheets had irregularities that could have affected more than a million votes.

Final tallies showed Noboa won 55.63% and Gonzalez 44.37%.

The appeal was presented on Thursday, Citizens' Revolution said in a post on X.

"This action is due to the denial of our right to review the inconsistencies and irregularities found in the second round results of the 2025 presidential race," Citizens' Revolution said. "We ask the electoral authorities to consider our claims and objections, with the goal of clarifying every identified irregularity."

Earlier on Friday the CNE said a second request to recount votes from thousands of ballot boxes was inadmissible.

"We recommend not to permit the appeal because it is inadmissible," said the report from the CNE, read aloud to journalists by secretary Santiago Vallejo.

Noboa, who focused his second-round campaign on populous coastal provinces, which have suffered significant violence and where he failed to win in the first round, has scoffed at the fraud allegations.

Source: Reuters