Daniel Noboa stunned voters when, with only a brief stint as a lawmaker and no established political machinery, he outperformed several presidential candidates in a snap election and advanced to a runoff against the protegee of Ecuador’s most influential president this century.

Indigenous leader Leonidas Iza, who led protests that nearly unseated Noboa’s predecessor, was tallying 5.26% of the votes, while Andrea Gonzalez, once the vice presidential candidate for an assassinated anti-corruption crusader, won 2.7%.

Noboa says his deployment of the military on the streets and within prisons has reduced violent deaths by 15%, led to a drastic fall in prison violence, and helped in the capture of major gang leaders.