Mon Nov 17 01:13:42 UTC 2025: Ecuador Rejects Foreign Military Bases, Constitutional Overhaul in Referendum
Quito, Ecuador – A referendum in Ecuador to potentially allow the return of foreign military bases appears to be failing, with initial counts indicating a strong rejection from voters. With over a third of ballots counted, approximately 60% have voted against the proposal, which would have overturned a 2008 ban on foreign military presence.
The referendum also included a measure to convene an assembly to rewrite the constitution. This proposal is also facing defeat, with around 61% of early votes counted against it.
These results represent a setback for President Daniel Noboa, who had advocated for both measures. Noboa argued that foreign cooperation, including the establishment of shared or foreign bases within Ecuador, was crucial in combating the country’s escalating organized crime problem. He also believed the current constitution, drafted under former leftist President Rafael Correa, needed revision to reflect the country’s present challenges.
A “No” vote effectively blocks the potential return of the United States military to the Manta airbase on the Pacific coast, a location once used for anti-drug operations.
Other proposals included in the referendum, such as cutting public funding for political parties and reducing the number of legislators in the National Assembly from 151 to 73, also appear to be failing according to early results.
The referendum took place against a backdrop of unprecedented violence in Ecuador, a key transit point for cocaine. Drug trafficking gangs are battling for control, targeting presidential candidates, mayors, and journalists.
President Noboa, in office since November 2023, has responded to the crisis by deploying soldiers in the streets and prisons, launching raids, and declaring states of emergency. He has also adopted tactics similar to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, showcasing mass inmate transfers and shaved heads.
Despite these measures, Ecuador has seen a record number of murders in the first half of the year. On the day of the vote, President Noboa announced the capture of “Pipo,” the leader of the notorious Los Lobos gang, who had allegedly faked his death and fled to Europe. He was apprehended in Spain in a joint operation.
First Piper 