INTERNATIONAL observers raised the alarm over a sudden state of emergency declared in Ecuador ahead of tomorrow’s election, warning it could be designed to help incumbent President Daniel Noboa rig the vote.

Mr Noboa, son of the country’s richest man, and socialist challenger Luisa Gonzalez of the Citizen Revolution dayMovement (RC) were neck and neck in the first round with 44 per cent each.

The state of emergency — officially enacted to tackle violent drug-trafficking gangs — restricts freedom of assembly and allows arbitrary police seizure of devices and documents.

Mr Noboa has repeatedly declared such states of emergency, including one last year lasting 240 days. Police have been accused of wrongful arrests and torture of detainees during these periods.

Supporters of Ms Gonzalez say the powers could be used to prevent people keeping records of how they voted (to challenge fraud) or to protest at any attempt to steal the election.

Despite rampant violence — the homicide rate surged from 5.8 per 100,000 people, the lowest in Latin America, when socialist Rafael Correa left the presidency in 2017 to 39 per 100,000 last year — authorities abruptly withdrew Ms Gonzalez’s security detail last week. At the last election in 2023, presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated.

The RC was formed by supporters of Mr Correa after his successor, Lenin Moreno, abandoned his Pais Alliance party’s socialist orientation and drove the ex-president into exile.

At elections it has been banned from using images of Mr Correa or recordings of his voice as authorities know the former leader remains popular.