Ecuador votes on hosting foreign bases

QUITO:

Ecuadorans went to the polls Sunday to vote on whether to allow the return of foreign military bases and on starting a constitutional overhaul that could give Trump-friendly President Daniel Noboa more power.

Nearly 14 million Ecuadorans are eligible to cast ballots on four questions that will decide how the country tackles rampant drug violence and addresses economic reforms.

The South American nation banned foreign military bases on its soil in 2008.

But with a "Yes" vote on Sunday, which pre-election polling showed as likely, the US military could potentially return to the Manta airbase on the Pacific coast -- once a hub for Washington's anti-drug operations.

"It is the only way to toughen the laws a bit and put an end to the insecurity our country is experiencing," Teresa Jacome, 60, told AFP in the crime-ridden largest city of Guayaquil.

Other questions posed to voters concern ending public funding for political parties, reducing the number of lawmakers, and creating an elected body that would draft a new constitution. Polls will close at 5:00 pm (2200 GMT).

The vote is taking place amid unprecedented violence sparked by turf wars and side hustles of drug trafficking gangs, a scourge which Noboa has vowed to tackle with a firm hand.

It also comes as the US military conducts a series of airstrikes against alleged drug smuggling boats, a divisive policy from President Donald Trump that Noboa has backed.

In office since November 2023, Noboa has deployed soldiers on the streets and in prisons, launched dramatic raids on drug strongholds, and declared frequent states of emergency — criticized by human rights groups.