Ecuadorians voted Sunday in a referendum to amend the constitution, approving the establishment of foreign military bases to address escalating drug-related violence.
Nearly 14 million registered voters participated, with polls indicating over 61 percent support for lifting the ban on foreign bases, potentially allowing U.S. forces to return to the Manta airbase.
The vote also endorsed initiating a process for a new constitution, reducing legislators from 151 to 73, and cutting public funding for political parties.
Ecuador has become a key cocaine transit point from neighboring Colombia and Peru, leading to a surge in gang violence targeting politicians, mayors, and journalists.
The homicide rate is projected to reach 50 per 100,000 this year, the highest in Latin America, with 4,619 murders recorded in the first half.
President Daniel Noboa, who assumed office in November 2023, has advocated an iron-fisted approach, including militarized crackdowns, soldier deployments to streets and prisons, and states of emergency.
Noboa met U.S. officials on security and migration, touring a coastal base that could host U.S. troops.
“International cooperation is the only way to dismantle these (drug trafficking) groups, which are transnational criminal networks,” Noboa said after voting.
On referendum day, authorities announced the arrest in Spain of Los Lobos gang leader Wilmer Geovanny Chavarria Barre, alias Pipo, linked to over 400 killings and ties to Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Critics argue that foreign bases undermine sovereignty and that a constitutional rewrite fails to tackle root issues like poor health and education access.
Former President Rafael Correa called the return of foreign forces “an insult to our public forces and an assault to our sovereignty.”
Opposition fears reduced legislative oversight and limited political representation in low-income areas.
If approved, a constituent assembly election will follow next year to draft tougher punishments and border controls.
Ecuador’s three constitutions since 1979 reflect ongoing reforms, but Noboa insists the current one lacks tools against crime.
Voting is compulsory for those under 64.