‘No’ vote leads in Ecuador referendum on hosting foreign military bases

Partial number shows 60 percent rejection of the connection to big overseas subject bases.

A referendum successful Ecuador connected the instrumentality of overseas subject bases appears to beryllium failing, with a partial number of much than a 3rd of ballots showing 60 percent rejection of the proposal.

A abstracted measurement to convene an assembly to rewrite the constitution besides has 61 percent rejection, according to the partial number connected Sunday, with 36 percent of votes counted.

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Losses would beryllium a stroke to President Daniel Noboa, who had backed some measures, saying overseas cooperation, including shared oregon overseas bases wrong the country, is cardinal to warring organised transgression successful the country.

He has besides said that the existent constitution, drafted nether erstwhile leftist President Rafael Correa, indispensable beryllium revised to bespeak the country’s caller reality.

Ecuador banned overseas subject bases connected its ungraded successful 2008.

A “No” ballot would apt artifact the United States subject returning to the Manta airbase connected the Pacific seashore – erstwhile a hub for Washington’s anti-drug operations.

Other questions posed to voters interest ending nationalist backing for governmental parties and reducing the fig of lawmakers. The aboriginal number showed those proposals failing, too.

The referendum is taking spot amid unprecedented unit sparked by turf wars and broadside hustles of cause trafficking gangs, a scourge which Noboa has vowed to tackle with a steadfast hand.

It besides comes arsenic the US subject conducts a bid of airstrikes against alleged cause smuggling boats, a divisive argumentation from President Donald Trump that Noboa has backed.

In bureau since November 2023, Noboa has deployed soldiers connected the streets and successful prisons, launched melodramatic raids connected cause strongholds, and declared predominant states of emergency.

The 37-year-old Porsche-driving millionaire has besides posted images of hundreds of inmates, their heads shaved, successful orangish uniforms being moved to a caller mega-prison, echoing moves by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele.

Still, successful the archetypal fractional of this year, determination were 4,619 murders – the “highest successful caller history,” according to Ecuador’s Organized Crime Observatory.

Just arsenic voting began, Noboa announced that the person of the country’s astir notorious gang, Los Lobos, had been captured.

The most-wanted cause kingpin known arsenic “Pipo” had “faked his death, changed his individuality and hid successful Europe,” Noboa said connected X.

Interior Minister John Reimberg aboriginal said “Pipo” had been detained successful Spain successful a associated cognition betwixt Ecuadoran and Spanish police.