The first election round ended with unexpected results of an atypical election, with a painful path due to the murder of the mayors of Manta, Agustín Intriago and Fernando Villavicencio. These facts, added to the presidential debate, revolutionized the electoral commission.

The issue of security was undoubtedly the protagonist of the election campaign, not only because of the deterioration of the situation in the country, but also because of these acts of violence that we are experiencing. Jan Topić, the candidate who most boldly focused his speech on security and concrete proposals, managed to capture the attention of voters to the extent that last week he was in full contention for a place in the second round, according to several studies. Jan emerges from these elections as a new political actor, different and with a structured plan with specific goals and a transversal axis in security.

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Other candidates who were expected to be the protagonists experienced an electoral collapse because they could not connect their proposal with the serious situation that threatened the country. In these elections, every communication setback on the main topics took its toll, including Otto, who did everything right except for the communication strategy. He will have another chance in the future that his preparation and enthusiasm deserve.

Fernando Villavicencio was the protagonist of the election and no one knows what would have happened if his life had not been cut short; his partner Christian Zurita took over with loyalty and received a very important vote despite the limitations he had from not participating in the debate and the lack of time or space due to the delay in his qualification as a candidate. But the special chapter I reserve is for Andrea González, without a doubt the great revelation of these elections with natural leadership and exceptional courage, and from my point of view the most outstanding of the vice-presidential candidates.

No one saw Daniel Noboa coming, his plan was to project himself into the future, but the future projected him into the present, making his way onto the board at a key moment in the presidential debate and with great strategic management on post-debate social media. His joint work with his wife and mother, in the territory, supplemented by his fresh image without contradictions and confrontations, managed to build the highest growth of the candidacy that can be remembered in the last days of the campaign: twenty points. He still has a clear shot at being the next president.

Andrea, Jan, Otto and Daniel, among others, are the new generation that this election leaves us; a generation that is interested in the state, which is not comfortable watching what is happening from afar; a generation capable of congratulating a rival who won and sharing his plan as happened with Jan in favor of Daniel; a generation that has another connection to the youth vote through digital social platforms that pollsters and analysts cannot measure or decipher. There is hope with the new generation, the country needs them. There will be a second round, which will give majority legitimacy to whoever rules. (OR)