Ecuador’s National Electoral Council (CNE) made an announcement on Wednesday (14) that a popular consultation being promoted by President Daniel Noboa is scheduled for April 21. This consultation covers important issues such as security, employment and justice.
This decision was made during a session that was convened to discuss and approve the timeline for the popular consultation and constitutional referendum. This followed the decisions made by the Constitutional Court which resulted in 11 questions, with five of these involving reforms to the Constitution.
Some of the issues that will be voted on include whether the Armed Forces should assist the police in combating organized crime, the possibility of extraditing Ecuadorians, establishing constitutional courts, recognizing international arbitration, and introducing more flexibility into the labor market with temporary and hourly contracts. Additionally, six questions concerning safety and measures against crime will also be part of the consultation.
Noboa, who assumed office on November 23, had proposed a consultation on security issues during his election campaign. He started promoting this consultation after taking office, with the aim of combating organized crime syndicates that have caused a surge in violence within the country’s prisons. Currently, the military has taken control of these prisons.
In response to this situation, the governor declared a state of emergency and designated it as an “internal armed conflict”. This allowed him to classify 22 criminal gangs as terrorist groups and involve the Armed Forces in supporting the police in operations against these mafias.
Among the six security issues that do not require changes to the Constitution, there is a proposal to allow the Armed Forces to permanently control the entry of weapons, ammunition, explosives and accessories into prisons.
Ecuadorians will also have the opportunity to vote on the possibility of amending the Penal Code to impose harsher penalties for crimes such as terrorism and its financing, drug trafficking, organized crime, murder, contract killings, human trafficking, ransom kidnapping, arms trafficking, money laundering and illegal mining.
The public will be asked whether they support the removal of prison benefits for individuals convicted of crimes such as financing terrorism, recruiting minors for criminal activities, ransom kidnapping, drug trafficking, illegal mining, illegal possession of weapons, extortion, influence peddling, and money laundering among others.
The consultation will also cover the issue of criminalizing the possession or carrying of weapons, ammunition or components that are meant for exclusive use by the Armed Forces or the National Police.
On a related note, Ecuadorians will have the chance to vote on whether they agree with the proposal to allow weapons confiscated from gangs or criminals to be used immediately by the police and the Armed Forces. They will also vote on simplifying the process of the State seizing goods of illicit or unjustified origin.
This consultation comes a few months before the next general elections in Ecuador, which are scheduled for February 9, 2025 with a potential second round on April 13, 2025 if required.
Some of the questions proposed by Noboa in this popular consultation have been previously rejected in a plebiscite promoted by his predecessor, Guillermo Lasso (2021-2023). These questions included the extradition of Ecuadorians and the support of the military to the police in fighting organized crime.
