Luisa González

Luisa Magdalena González Alcívar (born 22 November 1977) is an Ecuadorian politician and lawyer. She has been the International Affairs Secretary of Citizen Revolution Movement since 2026. She had also served as the President of the party from 2023 to 2026 and was its presidential candidate in the 2023 and 2025 elections. She was previously a member of the National Assembly from Manabí between 2021 and 2023.

González worked as the Ecuadorian Vice Consul in Spain and served in various positions in the administration of President Rafael Correa between 2007 and 2017, including as Secretary of Public Administration. In the 2021 legislative elections, González was elected to the National Assembly as a representative of Manabí Province. She would leave office early due to President Guillermo Lasso dissolving the National Assembly through the muerte cruzada decree in 2023.

González was selected as the Citizen Revolution Movement's presidential candidate for the 2023 election, with Andrés Arauz as her running mate. One of her campaign promises was to make former President Rafael Correa a central figure in her administration. After finishing in first place in the first round of voting, she went on to lose to Daniel Noboa, securing 47% of the vote. González would be elected as the party's president following the election. She was once again selected as the party's candidate for president in the 2025 election, with Diego Borja selected as her running mate. She would go on to lose the election once again to Noboa, winning 44% of the vote, demanding a recount and alleging fraud. González's claims were rejected by the European Union and the Organization of American States, who observed the election.

Early life and education Luisa Magdalena González Alcívar was born in Quito, Pichincha province, on 22 November 1977. where she attended María Angélica Idrobo School. In 2007 she obtained her law degree from the Universidad Internacional del Ecuador.

Gonzalez worked at , a financial institution in Quito, She served in various positions in the government of Rafael Correa from 2007 to 2017. In 2008, she worked as an advisor to the Secretariat of Communication and Information of Ecuador, and that same year she became General Coordinator of Human Resources, Institutional Development and Training of the Superintendence of Companies.

In 2010, she assumed the role of General Coordinator of the Presidential Strategic Agenda. Then in 2011, she was appointed as Vice Consul of Ecuador in Madrid, Spain.

In 2018, she became the national secretary for the Andean Parliament and in 2019, became the parliamentary advisor. In February 2022, during a debate in the National Assembly on the decriminalization of abortion in cases of rape, she controversially denied abortion as a right. González also objected to the Menstrual Health and Hygiene bill that, among various things, proposed the free distribution of menstrual pads. On 17 May 2023, when President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly through the decree muerte cruzada, González's tenure as an assemblywoman ended.

Presidential campaigns

2023 presidential election

On 10 June 2023, González was designated as the presidential candidate for the Citizen Revolution Movement to participate in the 2023 general election, after former Vice President Jorge Glas declined the nomination. Had González been elected president, she would have been the first female elected president in the country's history. (While considered to be the 39th President of Ecuador, Rosalía Arteaga assumed the presidency as acting president following the resignation of Abdalá Bucaram, serving for two days.) González was treated at a Quito medical center after flushing the pepper spray from her eyes. The National Police claimed to have used chemical agents to protect security and public order because of the hostile behavior of González's supporters. González was able to register her candidacy at the end of the day.

On 16 June, the National Electoral Council denied González's candidacy because the party had not presented the corresponding documents. The CNE provided a period of 48 hours for González to correct the issue for her to participate in the elections. However, the next day, the Citizen Revolution Movement stated that the missing requirement was being corrected, and on 20 June the registration was accepted.

During her campaign, González had vowed to make former President Rafael Correa a central figure in her administration such as a "principal advisor". A poll conducted on 9 July, showed González as the front-runner with nearly 34% and former Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner in second place with 17.5%. Two polls conducted on 9 August, the day of Fernando Villavicencio's assassination, found González in first place at 35.4% and 24% with Villavicencio in second place at 18.4% and 12.5% respectively. On 12 August, a poll found her narrowly ahead of right-wing businessman Jan Topić for first place with 24.9% to Topić's 21.7%.

In the first round of the election, González advanced to the run-off election set for 15 October, after winning 33% of the vote. She faced businessman and former Assembly member Daniel Noboa of the National Democratic Action. She lost the run-off election to Noboa on 15 October, after winning 47% of the vote. Had she been elected, she could have been the first woman elected to the presidency in Ecuador's history, and the second female president after Rosalía Arteaga, who briefly served as president for two days in February 1997.

Following her presidential defeat, González was elected President of the Citizen Revolution Movement on 18 November 2023, succeeding Francisco Hidalgo. Alejandro Tonello was designated as the party's vice president and her former running mate Andrés Arauz was designated as party secretary. She is running for the Citizen Revolution Movement (RC) nomination. The following month, a poll was conducted with González in the lead with 40.1% against President Daniel Noboa's 34.6%. In August 2024, Pabón ended her campaign, making González the sole presidential candidate for the RC nomination. On 10 August 2024, González became the official nominee of the Citizen Revolution Movement for the Presidency for the 2025 election. The party also named former Economy and Finance Minister Diego Borja as González's running mate.

González secured the endorsement of the Pachakutik party after agreeing to 25 demands listed by the party.

In the general election in February 2025, she advanced to the run-off against President Daniel Noboa, coming in second place after winning 43.97% of the vote. Two months later, González was defeated after winning 44% of the vote against Noboa's 55.7%. She refused to concede, alleging fraud without providing evidence.

2029 presidential election On 27 June 2026, González stated that she does not rule out yet another presidential campaign for the 2029 election.

2026 prefectural campaign On 23 January 2026, González was replaced by former Assemblywoman Gabriela Rivadeneira as President of the Citizen Revolution Movement during a party convention in Manta. She was subsequently assumed the role as Secretary of International Affairs of the party. After returning from a tour trip in Mexico on 26 April, González denied accusations that she is seeking political asylum there and announced her intentions to vie for the position of Prefect of Manabí for the 2026 local elections. On 27 June, she officially announced her pre-candidacy for the election with the AMIGO Movement selecting her as their nominee, she is running with Assemblyman Guido Mendoza as her Vice Prefect.

Political positions

González has been widely described as a protégé of former President Rafael Correa. She has been critical of President Guillermo Lasso and vowed to review all presidential decrees and executive actions done by Lasso in the aftermath of muerte cruzada. Her political ideology has been seen as left-wing and supportive of socialist ideas. She is set to represent socialism of the 21st century and a bearer of correism.

González said that she would treat the United States equally as she would other countries. During the 2023 referendum, González supported the measure that would have allowed oil exploitation in the Yasuní National Park, citing that it would benefit financial budgets aimed at education and the economy.

Abortion When she was a member of the National Assembly, González took an anti-abortion stance, rejecting the idea of abortion being a right. She has one son from the marriage. The Comptroller's Office found her liable for a total of $880,473 for the irregular use of the presidential plane to travel to tax havens.