Even so, even voters who reject Correa’s legacy could be inclined to vote for González for disappointment with the status quo.
President Nemaa has faced criticism for human rights abuses and executive overreach of his short term in office. Some even say that he has shown an authoritarian streak, just like Correa.
The vote is mandatory in Ecuador, and the voters demonstrated their disgust in the surveys in the first round of this year’s presidential race. The null and white votes represented almost 9 percent of the total ballots cast, a sign of deep dissatisfaction of the voters.
The political consultant Jacobo García believes that this electorate segment can lean towards González, not for his campaign, but due to the growing frustration with Nevoa.
“What could tip the balance,” he said, “is not support to González, but the perception that Neboa’s campaign has lost steam and made critical mistakes.”
Some indigenous leaders who once faced Correa are also supporting González for similar reasons.
“The alternative is worse,” said Gomez, Kara Kara activist. “It is about defending the common territories and lives of a government that has shown the contempt of indigenous rights.”
At the end of March, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), the largest indigenous organization in the country, also reached an agreement with González.
He supported her, on the condition that she accepted a 25-point platform that included committing to repeal the decrees of the Noboa era that felt that Conaie were anti -intics.
“We are not campaigning. We are demanding actions on indigenous rights, environmental justice and the end of criminalization defenders,” Gomez said.
She emphasized that the decision followed months of internal consultation between indigenous communities, a strategic choice rooted in resistance, not alignment.
“We have chosen who we would prefer to face. If she wins, the demands are clear, and the answer will be the mobilization.”
But Avila, the professor at the University of Cuenca, said that such alliances will be key to any government that González can form if he is chosen. Currently, the fiscal crisis of Ecuador and the divided legislature could stop their agenda.
“Campaigns are based on hope, but governance requires coalitions,” said Avila. “The real challenge will begin the day after the elections.”