The presidential candidate of the ADN alliance, Daniel Noboa, began his electoral participation with Ecuatoriano Unido, the disappeared movement of Lenín Moreno’s brother.
Presidential candidate Daniel Noboa, during a tour of Manabí on August 26, 2023.
The young politician Daniel Noboa Azín reached the second round of elections after barely two years of political career. The candidate of the ADN alliance, made up of two political movements without much relevance, seeks to position itself as an option far from confrontation and as a new, young and honest face.
However, Noboa’s short political career is not without controversy. Although he was a politician who went largely unnoticed the last two years that he was an assemblyman, his name is linked to important episodes of the dissolved National Assembly.
Daniel Noboa got his first political office in 2021, as an assemblyman for Santa Elena, at the hands of Ecuatoriano Unido, the late party of Edwin Moreno, brother of former president Lenín Moreno.
He came to that position in 2021 as the third most voted and won the last seat in the province, after a controversial campaign in which he was criticized for the delivery of gifts: from quintals of rice and food kits to kitchenettes.
A short political career
As an assemblyman, Noboa’s work went almost unnoticed; he was not one of the assemblymen with the highest profile in the two years of the dissolved Legislature. Although he is remembered among former legislators for situations that put him at the center of controversy.
As soon as he took office as an assembly member, Noboa was appointed president of the Economic Development Commission after the installation of the Assembly. The possession of him was part of the distribution of the legislative alliance made up of the ruling party, Pachakutik and the Democratic Left. In that position, he was seen as an ally for the Government of Guillermo Lasso.
In fact, Noboa remained close to Lasso in the first months. For example, although he was not part of the official delegation that accompanied the President to Spain in November 2021, he was present at some meetings.
Since the Government lost control of the Economic Regime Commission, the Economic Development Commission, led by Noboa, became a crucial space. For this reason, the Economic Development Law came into his hands , Lasso’s first tax reform, which he managed to enter through the Ministry of Law in November 2021.
Then, at the beginning of 2022, the Investment Law was sent to the Economic Development Commission, also an initiative of Lasso. Here, Noboa had a leading role, since he was the speaker. But in the middle of the plenary session for approval or filing, he asked for time to include changes and never returned to the room. This law was finally shelved, marking one of the crucial moments in the break between the Assembly and the Government.
Beyond these episodes, Noboa is remembered among former legislators for his generosity. This is how he paid for the trip to Russia for six members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group between Ecuador and Russia:
- Marcela Holguin (UNES).
- Pamela Aguirre (UNES).
- Johanna Ortiz (UNES).
- Vanessa Freire (BAN).
- Johanna Moreira (Democratic Left).
- Jorge Abedrabbo (Christian Social Party).
Daniel Noboa’s legislative production was low. In his two years as a member of the Assembly, he registered just 11 interventions in plenary session, and was present in only 327 of the 661 votes in the Assembly, which corresponds to less than half: 49.4%.
As for his work in inspection, it is not good either. According to data from the Assembly, Noboa made just 54 requests for information in the two years in office, and not one request for impeachment. And he introduced only two bills.
His personal life
Daniel Roy-Gilchrist Noboa Azín was born on October 30, 1987, in the city of Guayaquil. He is the son of banana magnate Álvaro Noboa and Anabella Azín , two well-known figures in Ecuadorian politics for the five presidential races they have faced.
His position as an assemblyman was his first experience as a public official. Before him, he was dedicated to the administration of his family’s companies: he was commercial director and logistics director of Grupo Noboa, according to his Linkedin profile.
It is also a shareholder in seven companies: Pesquera Marintan, Predios Cutiriba, Fantastisol, Cordenesa, Pozuelo de oro Pozoro, Logic Choice Logch and Nobexport. Before, he was a shareholder of other companies of the Noboa Group.
He studied Business Administration at the Stern School of Business at New York University, Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School, and has a master’s degree in Governance and Political Communication from George Washington University.
He is married to the ‘influencer’ Lavinia Valbonesi, whose relationship has become very public during his electoral campaign. They have a child and are expecting a second.
His private life has not been without controversy. His ex-wife, Gabriela Goldbaum, publicly accused him in 2020 of infidelity, mistreatment and not respecting visitation agreements for the daughter they have in common.
The problems with Goldbaum led to an international lawsuit promoted by Noboa against the insurance company Mapfre. According to the presidential candidate, his personal data, obtained from an Equifax company database, was used by his ex-wife during the divorce process.
According to the complaint filed in Spain, which was admitted for processing in July 2021, the information obtained – patrimonial data, credit, address, and others – was used by Noboa’s ex-wife during the alimony negotiations after the divorce.
