Ecuadorians wanted an action man. President Noboa has fulfilled that role — embassy raid included

By REGINA GARCIA CANO and GABRIELA MOLINA
Associated Press

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — While world leaders have expressed shock over Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa’s decision to raid Mexico’s embassy, the unusual move — and Noboa’s relative silence about it — is unlikely to hurt him with constituents. In fact, it’s exactly the kind of crimefighting they expect and voted for. Ecuadorians were looking for their action man last election, fed up with widespread corruption and crime fueled by international drug cartels. Noboa so far seems to be fulfilling that role. And some Ecuadorians say that if crimefighting means breaching an embassy, so be it. But the move could have consequences for Ecuador as it navigates trade agreement negotiations and furthers its efforts to combat drug gangs.