Measure to allow return of foreign military bases in Ecuador fails in vote

A measure that would allow the return of foreign military bases to Ecuador looked set to fail in a referendum, as a count of more than 80 percent of ballots showed nearly two-thirds rejection of the proposal.

With three-quarters of the vote counted on Sunday, about 60 percent of Ecuadorans had voted "no" to lifting a longstanding ban on foreign bases.

The rejection effectively blocks the US military from returning to an airbase at Manta on the Pacific coast — once a hub for Washington's operations against alleged drug trafficking boats.

"We respect the will of the Ecuadoran people," Noboa said, after results showed a solid majority of voters had rejected his proposals.

The vote came against the backdrop of US military air strikes against alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, a divisive policy that Noboa has backed.

Constitution overhaul

A separate proposal to convene an assembly to rewrite the constitution had more than 61 percent rejection with nearly 80 percent of votes counted.

The losses on the measures are a blow to President Daniel Noboa, who had backed both, saying foreign cooperation, including shared or foreign bases within the country, is central to fighting organised crime and that the current constitution, drafted under former leftist President Rafael Correa, must be revised to reflect the country's new reality.

Once considered one of the safest countries in Latin America, Ecuador has become a key drug transit hub in recent years because of its location on the Pacific, triggering an unprecedented security crisis and battering its already-fragile economy.

Correa celebrated the "no" vote on the constitutional assembly measure, saying the Ecuadorean people have now approved the current constitution twice - in its original approval 17 years ago and on Sunday.

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Source: TRT