Ecuadorians Vote for Sovereignty

Hello, everyone. Today at WPR, we’re we’re covering an unprecedentedly brutal crackdown on dissent in Tanzania that local activists say will leave scars for decades, and what two police raids in Brazil say about the dangerous appeal of “security populism.”

But first, here’s our take on today’s top story:

In a major setback for President Daniel Noboa, voters in Ecuador on Sunday rejected a proposal to allow the return of foreign military bases. With almost 90 percent of ballots counted, nearly two-thirds voted “no” on the measure.

Noboa had backed the referendum as necessary to help Ecuador’s armed forces fight back against the drug cartels that have engulfed the country in violence. Had it passed, it would have paved the way for U.S. forces to return to an airbase in Manta, on the Pacific coast, which served as an American hub for counternarcotics operations until the leftist former President Rafael Correa refused to extend the lease in 2008.

The question about foreign military bases was one of four ballot proposals decided on Sunday. The others would have ended public funding for political parties, reduced the number of lawmakers in parliament, and created an elected body to rewrite Ecuador’s constitution, which was enacted under Correa. All of them were rejected.

In a social media post, Noboa acknowledged the defeat. “We respect the will of the Ecuadorian people. Our commitment does not change; it strengthens. We will continue to fight tirelessly for the country that you deserve, with the tools that we have.”

Noboa convincingly won a full term as president in April, following his victory in a snap general election in 2023. He has taken a heavily militarized approach to fighting gang violence while also pushing back on institutional checks on his power, leading critics to charge that he is imitating Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s mano dura, or iron-fisted, approach to governance.