Daniel Noboa, 35, has been elected as Ecuador's president and becomes the youngest person to hold the position in the country.
Daniel Noboa has promised to "restore peace" to a country torn by a brutal drug gang war.
After the election commission pronounced him the winner and socialist competitor Luisa Gonzalez conceded defeat, Noboa stated, "tomorrow we begin work to rebuild a country that has been severely hit by violence, corruption, and hatred."
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Ecuador, long a tranquil sanctuary between major cocaine exporters Colombia and Peru, has seen violence rise in recent years as rival groups with ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels compete for dominance.
Since February 2021, at least 460 inmates have been massacred in jails, with many being beheaded or burned alive in riots.
Following the assassination of former journalist Villavicencio, a state of emergency was imposed, and Noboa and Gonzalez campaigned and voted in bullet-proof vests and with extensive security personnel.
On Sunday, Noboa told supporters in his hometown of Olon, in the southwest, that his goal was "to restore peace... to bring back education to the youth" and to create jobs.
Ecuadorians voted for 10 hours on Sunday, with no reports of violence, under the supervision of 100,000 police and troops.
According to polls, the major concerns of Ecuadorians are crime and violence in a country where the murder rate has doubled in the four years leading up to 2022.
Noboa, who received almost 52 percent of the vote according to a near-complete count, was chosen to fill the term of incumbent Guillermo Lasso, who called a quick election to avert possible impeachment for alleged corruption.
According to the law, Noboa is eligible to run for president again in 2025-29 and the one after that.
Noboa is the son of one of Ecuador's wealthiest men, with five failed presidential attempts.
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