Ecuadorian voters appear to have rejected a proposal to allow the return of foreign military bases to help the South American nation combat drug cartels.
According to a partial count with 80% of votes counted, more than 60% of voters said “no” to the measure.
After vote counting showed the referendum was on track to fail, President Daniel Noboa said, “We respect the will of the Ecuadorian people.”
It was one of four questions raised in Sunday’s referendum.
Other questions asked of voters included ending public funding for political parties, reducing the number of legislatures, and creating an elected body that would draft a new constitution.
A “no” vote would be a major blow to Noboa, who was seeking popular support for his war on drugs through tougher laws and greater executive power.
Why does President Noboa want foreign military bases?
Noboa has argued that the foreign bases, banned in 2008, are necessary to deal with the country’s internecine warfare and increasing violence from drug-trafficking gangs.
The country is struggling to defeat organized crime syndicates on its own.
Noboa’s government had already negotiated with the United States and Brazil about the possibility of these countries deploying troops to Ecuador.
Earlier in November, Noboa led U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noema on a tour of the Manta military base along Ecuador’s coast, which could potentially host U.S. troops.
The US military previously maintained a base in Manta between 1999 and 2009.
How bad is Ecuador’s drug cartel problem?
Ecuador is strategically located between Colombia and Peru, the world’s two largest producers of coca, the raw material used to make cocaine.
Because of this, Ecuador “has long served as a transit corridor” in the global drug supply chain, the International Crisis Group writes in a new analysis. Ecuador’s battle with organized crime,
There were 4,619 murders in Ecuador in the first half of this year. According to the country’s Organized Crime Observatory, this was “the highest in recent history”.
What were the proposed changes to the Constitution of Ecuador?
So far, more than 61% of people have voted against the proposal regarding drafting a new constitution.
Noboa had argued that the current constitution, with more than 400 articles, is too long and contains “many errors”.
But he did not clearly state which parts of the existing Constitution he would like to change.
This led to allegations that he wanted to consolidate power and curb rights.
Approximately 14 million Ecuadorians were eligible to vote on the four referendum questions.
Edited by: Zack Crellin