Ecuador's Noboa vows to tackle violence, boost economy and create jobs in second term

QUITO (AP) — Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa was officially sworn in on Saturday following his reelection for another four-year term early this year.

Noboa, 37, who wore a presidential sash over his chest, was sworn in alongside his Vice President María José Pinto and their terms will run until May 2029.

The young president, who has become known for his fight against a surge of armed group violence in the South American country, pledged in his inauguration speech to continue to tackle corruption, drug trafficking and violent crime. He also swore to implement reforms and said he would lay “a solid foundation for job creation and investment" by working with Ecuador's private sector.

“We are at the doorstep of four years of progress,” he said.

The ceremony in the capital, Quito, was attended by U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy, Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, and many other international guests and delegates.

Noboa was first elected as president in November 2023 aged 35, with little political experience. He unexpectedly entered the race and was elected to complete the term of his predecessor, Guillermo Lasso, who had dissolved the Assembly and stepped down to avoid impeachment.

Noboa was re-elected on April 13 in a run-off against left-wing candidate Luisa González, who has made repeated allegations of electoral fraud. Her Citizen Revolution party, lead by former president Rafael Correa, boycotted Saturday's ceremony, even though González claims were rejected by Ecuador’s electoral authority and both national and international observers.

Violence and high unemployment levels remain the biggest challenges facing the president and his National Democratic Action (ADN) party, which also was able to hold the majority in the country’s congress through a number of political alliances.

Maintaining that majority will be crucial for Noboa in pushing through his agenda, including a crime-fighting bill marked as “urgent” for its economic implications. The proposal has already drawn criticism from the opposition.

Juan Francisco Camino, a professor at the Equinoctial Technological University, said Noboa's tight majority could easily shift the balance.

“Just one lost vote from his allies could paralyze his plans," Camino said in an interview.

Asked whether Noboa might change his governing approach in this new term, Camino predicted continuity, especially with the government’s focus on using state power to fight crime, which he said “sells legitimacy.”

Ecuador is one of the most dangerous countries in the region, with around 8,000 violent deaths by the end of 2024 and crime continuing to rise in 2025. Camino stressed that Noboa must “look beyond security” and focus on rebuilding Ecuador’s social fabric, especially in areas like jobs, healthcare, and education.

Others said it was important to focus on root causes of violence, like lack of opportunities which often pushes young people to join criminal groups. Only 33% of Ecuadorians had full-time jobs as of late last year, with the rest working in the informal economy.

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa and his wife, Lavinia Valbonesi, acknowledge supporters from the balcony of the presidential palace after his swearing-in ceremony for a second term in Quito, Ecuador, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Carlos Noriega)

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa, accompanied by his wife Lavinia Valbonesi and their two children, arrives at the National Assembly for his swearing-in ceremony for a second term, in Quito, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

A supporter of Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa cheers as he appears on the balcony of the presidential palace after his swearing-in ceremony for a second term in Quito, Ecuador, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Carlos Noriega)

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboai and his wife, Lavinia Valbonesi, wave from the balcony of the presidential palace after his swearing-in ceremony for a second term in Quito, Ecuador, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Carlos Noriega)

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. and his wife Cheryl Hines arrive for the swearing-in ceremony for a second term of Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa at the National Assembly in Quito, Ecuador, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa walks out of the National Assembly with his wife, Lavinia Valbonesi, and National Assembly President Niels Olsen, right, after his swearing-in ceremony for a second term, in Quito, Ecuador, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa acknowledges supporters from the balcony of the presidential palace after his swearing-in ceremony for a second term in Quito, Ecuador, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Carlos Noriega)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)