In a referendum held on Sunday, Ecuadorians voted against a proposal to host foreign military bases, as well as another to launch a process that could lead to a new constitution.
It was a significant defeat for President Daniel Noboa, a conservative who is closely aligned with the Trump administration. He had pushed Ecuador's courts to include the question about rewriting the constitution. Six out of 10 voters said no.
Noboa said in an X message after the results were released that his government will "respect the will of the people" and would continue to fight for the country that "everyone deserves.”
Ecuador has become a key transit point for cocaine produced in neigbouring Colombia and Peru. The nation of 18 million people has struggled to control violent crime related to drug trafficking gangs, which have attacked residential candidates, mayors and journalists, as they fight for control over ports and coastal cities.
Recently, Noboa met with US officials to discuss regional security and migration cooperation and gave US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a tour of a military base along Ecuador’s coast that could possibly host US troops.
“International cooperation is the only way to dismantle these (drug trafficking) groups, which are transnational criminal networks,” Noboa said after casting his ballot.
Noboa's proposals roundly rejected
Ecuador has had three constitutions since the country returned to democracy in 1979, but Noboa had argued it was time to “rebuild” the country, arguing that the current constitution does not give the government enough tools to fight crime.
In Sunday's referendum, voters were also asked if Ecuador should set up a constituent assembly, a legislative body that would be in charge of rewriting the nation’s constitution.
Noboa argued that a new constitution should seek tougher punishment for criminals and greater measures to control Ecuador’s borders.
Critics of the president said that a constitutional rewrite will not solve problems like insecurity and poor access to health and education services. And some feared that a new constitution would decrease legislative and judicial oversight of the executive branch.
Voters were also asked if Ecuador should cut public funding for political parties, and if the number of legislators in the National Assembly should be reduced from 151 representatives to 73. Both measures were rejected by a wide margin.
Noboa said these measures were necessary to cut excessive government spending, while his critics said they could limit political representation, especially in low-income communities where resources for political campaigns are scarce.
