Daniel Roy Gilchrist Noboa Azín[a] (/noʊˈboʊə/ noh-BOH-ə; Spanish pronunciation: [daˈnjel noˈβo.a]; born 30 November 1987) is an Ecuadorian politician and businessman who has been serving as the 48th president of Ecuador since 2023.

[33] In March 2023, he was in favor of the muerte cruzada, in the face of the rejection and filing of the Investment Law, presented by the government of Guillermo Lasso.

[38] His campaign is seen as traditional, drawing on the Grupo Noboa social welfare foundation founded by his parents, as well as his ties as chairman of the Commission on Economic Development.

[43] On 20 August, Noboa gathered 23.47% of the actual votes and advanced to the run-off election set for 15 October, facing Luisa González.

[15] Prior to taking office, Noboa travelled to the United States and Europe to search for investors and business lenders to assist the country's debt crisis.

[50] Hours after taking office, Noboa pledged reforms to reduce violence and create employment opportunities in the country, even though he had not appointed a Finance Minister.

[48] He initially announced he would appoint economist Sariha Moya as Minister of Finance, but ultimately had her lead the nation's planning secretariat instead.

[56] He simultaneously instructed the Interior and Health Ministries to create programs to reduce the consumption of narcotics and provide treatment for drug abusers.

[57] In conflict with his Vice President, Veronica Abad, from the very first days of his mandate, he decided to distance her by appointing her "peace collaborator" between Israel and the Palestinians, a mission she was to carry out from the Ecuadorian embassy in Tel Aviv.

[62] The same day, Noboa announced he would seek to cut $1 billion in government spending, while raising revenue via gold reserves worth around $300 million.

[65] On the sidelines of Milei's inauguration, Noboa met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who praised him for his stance on Russia's invasion.

[68][69] Following the escape, Noboa declared a state of emergency, to last for 60 days,[70] giving authorities the power to suspend people's rights and allowing the military to be mobilized inside prisons.

Some analysts criticize President Noboa for providing an exclusively security-based response to crime, without making any announcements on possible reforms of the police and judiciary, reputed to be highly corrupt, or on social policies to combat the root causes of violence.

[75] The raid was carried out to arrest the former vice president of Ecuador, Jorge Glas, who had been sentenced for corruption and had been living in the embassy since 17 December 2023.

[80] In response to the raid, Noboa said he made "exceptional decisions to protect national security, the rule of law and the dignity of a population that rejects any type of impunity for criminals, corrupt people or narco-terrorists", and that he would "not allow sentenced criminals involved in very serious crimes to be given asylum", arguing that such actions were against the Vienna Convention and other international agreements.

[81] Noboa later said that wished to resolve the diplomatic issue with Mexico, but added that "justice is not negotiated" and that "we will never protect criminals who have harmed Mexicans".

[83] In August 2024, Noboa named María José Pinto González Artigas as his running mate, going against his Vice President Verónica Abad Rojas.

[85] In November 2024, Abad Rojas was temporarily suspended as vice president by the Ecuadorian government after failing to leave Israel and travel to Turkey.

[90] According to Constantin Groll, head of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung's office in Ecuador, Noboa "stands for business-friendly politics and conservative values, and can be classified as belonging to the right-wing camp".

"[95] In June 2021, a complaint filed by Noboa was admitted to a Spanish court to investigate the insurer Mapfre for the alleged crime of violation of the right to privacy and disclosure of secrets, for data used by Goldbaum during the divorce process.

[98] The PROGEN case in Ecuador has sparked a scandal due to a $149 million contract signed by the government for the purchase of thermal generators.

The Minister of Energy, Inés Manzano, has expressed doubts about the origin and condition of the transformers required for their operation, while the government and PROGEN are at odds over delays in the inspection and delivery of the equipment.

Amid an energy crisis, these delays and the lack of transparency in the process have worsened the situation, leaving the country without the promised 150 megawatts.