New Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, 35,  is now officially the youngest democratically elected head of state in the history of the South American country, after taking the oath of office on Thursday.

“Many are trying to pigeonhole the new government into old political or ideological boxes, but we are focussing on change and the future,” said the 35-year-old son of banana tycoon Álvaro Noboa, who himself ran for president five times.

Daniel Noboa will only hold office until May 2025 – until the end of the term of office originally planned for the prematurely departing President Guillermo Lasso.

Many Ecuadorians consider the security situation to be the biggest problem in the country.

The murder rate of around 25 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants last year was the highest in the history of the Andean country and one of the highest in Latin America.

Shortly before the first round of elections, presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who promised to fight corruption, was shot dead after an election rally.

Several gangs with links to powerful Mexican cartels are fighting for drug trafficking routes.

Ecuador is an important transit country for cocaine from South America, which is smuggled to the U.S. and Europe. dpa/NAN)