SANTA ELENA — Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa won the country’s presidential election on Sunday based on preliminary results, an electoral official said, as his main rival demanded a recount of the vote following a race overshadowed by drug-fueled violence that has consumed the once-peaceful South American country.

Noboa, a conservative, has made fighting crime and economic revitalization two of his main goals — summed up in the slogan “New Ecuador”— as he faces, among other challenges, violence by criminal groups and an energy crisis that has caused constant blackouts in the country.

With 90% of the ballots counted, the trend in favor of Noboa is irreversible and he is considered the winner, National Electoral Council president Diana Atamaint told a press conference Sunday.

But Noboa’s closest challenger, leftist lawyer Luisa González, said she rejected the results and demanded a recount.

“In the name of the people we represent, we do not recognize the results presented by the (National Electoral Council),” González said in front of supporters.

“I refuse to believe that a people would prefer lies instead of truth, violence instead of peace and unity,” González said in Quito, according to Reuters. “We are going to demand a recount and for them to open ballot boxes.”

Noboa, meanwhile, thanked those who voted for him during a rally with his supporters in the beach town of Olón.

“This day has been historic, this victory has also been historic, a victory by more than 10 points, a victory by more than a million votes where there is no doubt who the winner is,” Noboa said.

Sunday’s vote was the latest electoral contest between the two candidates. In the 2023 snap election to complete the term of the previous president, Noboa defeated González with just over 50% of the vote.

Noboa sought a full four-year term to continue his controversial war on gangs and drug traffickers, which has so far had limited results.

The 37-year-old leader has declared numerous states of emergency, deployed military units to tackle gang activity, and began construction on a new maximum-security prison after an infamous criminal leader escaped from custody last year.

But according to figures from the government, the start to the year has seen an unprecedented level of violence with more than 1,000 homicides. Data from organized crime research center InSight Crime suggests Ecuador has the highest homicide rate in Latin America.

Voters, who cast their ballots earlier Sunday, overwhelmingly told CNN that security was their main concern.

“Tranquility ... is the most important thing for the country because there is a lot of insecurity,” one voter said.

“Security is in pieces,” another voter said, adding that she hoped the next president would keep their promise to tackle violence.

To stamp out the crime wave, Noboa has openly solicited the help of foreign governments and companies, especially from the United States. In March, he announced a “strategic alliance” to fight organized crime with Erik Prince, the founder of the controversial private defense contractor formerly known as Blackwater.

Documents obtained by CNN show that Noboa’s government has been preparing to house US military forces in a new naval base on the Ecuadorian coast. He also proposed lifting a ban on foreign military bases from the country that was established when Ecuador rewrote its constitution in 2008.

González, a protégé of Ecuador’s left-wing former President Rafael Correa, had offered an alternative model for security based on what her party described as “prevention, violence reduction and coexistence.”

Running on a campaign to “Revive Ecuador,” González proposed a return to high social spending to help the country’s poorest citizens. She said her party represents hope and transformation, arguing that “Noboa represents fear.”

The leftist politician also opposes foreign intervention to tackle the crime crisis, and has proposed reestablishing the Ecuadorean Ministry of Justice, which was dismantled in 2018. She’s also set on eliminating the agency that manages the country’s dysfunctional prisons.

The government said it deployed some 45,000 troops across the country on election day to guarantee voters’ security.

Ecuador’s electoral authorities also prohibited voters from taking photos of ballots during the election, warning of fines ranging from $9,000 to $32,000 for violators. This follows reports from the first round vote in February that criminal groups forced some people to vote for certain candidates and send pictures as proof. — CNN