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)

ST. LOUIS (AP) — World champions Ilia Malinin and the ice dance duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates will anchor one of the strongest U.S. Figure Skating teams in history when they head to Italy for the Milan Cortina Olympics in less than a month.

Malinin, fresh off his fourth straight national title, will be the prohibitive favorite to follow in the footsteps of Nathan Chen by delivering another men's gold medal for the American squad when he steps on the ice at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

Chock and Bates, who won their record-setting seventh U.S. title Saturday night, also will be among the Olympic favorites, as will world champion Alysa Liu and women's teammate Amber Glenn, fresh off her third consecutive national title.

U.S. Figure Skating announced its full squad of 16 athletes for the Winter Games during a made-for-TV celebration Sunday.

"I'm just so excited for the Olympic spirit, the Olympic environment," Malinin said. “Hopefully go for that Olympic gold.”

Malinin will be joined on the men's side by Andrew Torgashev, the all-or-nothing 24-year-old from Coral Springs, Florida, and Maxim Naumov, the 24-year-old from Simsbury, Connecticut, who fulfilled the hopes of his late parents by making the Olympic team.

Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were returning from a talent camp in Kansas when their American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter and crashed into the icy Potomac River in January 2025. One of the last conversations they had with their son was about what it would take for him to follow in their footsteps by becoming an Olympian.

“We absolutely did it,” Naumov said. “Every day, year after year, we talked about the Olympics. It means so much in our family. It's what I've been thinking about since I was 5 years old, before I even know what to think. I can't put this into words.”

Chock and Bates helped the Americans win team gold at the Beijing Games four years ago, but they finished fourth — one spot out of the medals — in the ice dance competition. They have hardly finished anywhere but first in the years since, winning three consecutive world championships and the gold medal at three straight Grand Prix Finals.

U.S. silver medalists Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik also made the dance team, as did the Canadian-born Christina Carreira, who became eligible for the Olympics in November when her American citizenship came through, and Anthony Ponomarenko.

Liu was picked for her second Olympic team after briefly retiring following the Beijing Games. She had been burned out by years of practice and competing, but stepping away seemed to rejuvenate the 20-year-old from Clovis, California, and she returned to win the first world title by an American since Kimmie Meissner stood atop the podium two decades ago.

Now, the avant-garde Liu will be trying to help the U.S. win its first women's medal since Sasha Cohen in Turin in 2006, and perhaps the first gold medal since Sarah Hughes triumphed four years earlier at the Salt Lake City Games.

Her biggest competition, besides a powerful Japanese contingent, could come from her own teammates: Glenn, a first-time Olympian, has been nearly unbeatable the past two years, while 18-year-old Isabeau Levito is a former world silver medalist.

"This was my goal and my dream and it just feels so special that it came true,” said Levito, whose mother is originally from Milan.

The two pairs spots went to Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, the U.S. silver medalists, and the team of Emily Chan and Spencer Howe.

The top American pairs team, two-time reigning U.S. champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, were hoping that the Finnish-born Efimova would get her citizenship approved in time to compete in Italy. But despite efforts by the Skating Club of Boston, where they train, and the help of their U.S. senators, she did not receive her passport by the selection deadline.

“The importance and magnitude of selecting an Olympic team is one of the most important milestones in an athlete's life,” U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell said, "and it has such an impact, and while there are sometimes rules, there is also a human element to this that we really have to take into account as we make decisions and what's best going forward from a selection process.

“Sometimes these aren't easy," Farrell said, “and this is not the fun part.”

The fun is just beginning, though, for the 16 athletes picked for the powerful American team.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Amber Glenn competes during the women's free skating competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Alysa Liu skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Maxim Naumov skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate during the "Making the Team" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Gold medalist Ilia Malinin arrives for the metal ceremony after the men's free skate competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)