Daniel Noboa

Reeling from gang violence and Latin America’s highest murder rate, Ecuador’s voters decided bold new ideas were needed. In November, they elected Daniel Noboa, who at 35 became the nation’s youngest-ever democratic leader and remains the world’s youngest today. The scion of a wealthy banana exporter, Noboa quickly held a referendum whose passing allowed the military to patrol the streets—a move that, while subduing the gangs, has been linked by human-rights groups with extrajudicial killings. It’s not the only way Noboa has shown a ruthless streak; in April, he shattered diplomatic protocol by ordering a raid on Quito’s Mexican embassy to arrest a fugitive former official sheltering there. Critics also accuse Noboa of using augmented presidential powers to advance family business interests (accusations he denies). But with security still the top concern for a fearful populace, Noboa’s election-­victory promise “to reconstruct a country battered by violence, by corruption, and hate” continues to resonate.