No. The Ecuadorian people, on Sunday, November 16, rejected the return of foreign military bases and the development of a new Constitution, according to the first results of the referendum, a setback for United States ally President Daniel Noboa, who promised to respect the results of the vote.
Some 61% of voters rejected lifting the ban on the presence of foreign bases and 62% opposed appointing an assembly responsible for drafting a new Constitution, according to partial results revealed by the National Electoral Council.
“We respect the wishes of the Ecuadorian people”Daniel Noboa commented on X after this defeat for his side, adding that his “Commitment has not changed, in fact it has strengthened”.
This refusal would prevent American troops from returning to its former military base in Manta, on the Pacific coast, previously used by Washington in anti-drug operations.
This comes at a time of high tension in Latin America, with large-scale American military deployments in the Caribbean and Pacific Seas, with the United States carrying out air strikes on what they perceive to be ships transporting drugs. In return for support in Washington, Daniel Noboa hopes for American backing to fight the gangs and cartels plaguing his country, an outlet for cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia or Peru.
The president also plans to draft a new constitution, because he believes the current constitution is too lenient towards criminals.
An unprecedented security crisis
The vote was also held in the context of unprecedented violence in Ecuador, where Daniel Noboa advocates a tough policy against organized crime, while the courts have blocked several of his initiatives deemed to conflict with fundamental rights.
Nearly 14 million Ecuadorians are expected to answer “yes” or “no” to four questions during the referendum, which is subject to mandatory voting.
Besides the return of foreign military bases banned since 2008 and the drafting of a new constitution, they must also decide whether to end public funding for political parties and whether to reduce the number of members of parliament.
Shortly after the start of voting, President Noboa announced on X the arrest of the leader of Ecuador’s main drug trafficking gang, “Pipo” Chavarria. Interior Minister John Reimberg also clarified that the arrests took place in Spain.
The country is experiencing an unprecedented security crisis, with a murder rate of 39 per 100,000 residents according to the Insight Crime think tank, the highest rate in Latin America. And according to calculations by Ecuador’s Organized Crime Observatory, the figure is expected to reach 52 by 2025, an unprecedented figure and double the regional average.
In power since November 2023, Daniel Noboa waged war against organized crime through the deployment of soldiers on the streets and in prisons, spectacular operations in drug trafficking bases, and frequent states of emergency, which were condemned by human rights organizations.
Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, Ecuador has become one of Washington’s most important allies in the region, supporting its military deployment in the Caribbean Sea that has killed at least 80 suspected drug traffickers.
