Ecuadorians vote on whether to allow foreign military bases amid rising crime

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QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuadorians voted Sunday on a referendum that asks if they want to amend the country's constitution to allow the South American nation to host military bases run by foreign countries. The four-part referendum also asked Ecuadorians if they want to launch a process that could lead to a new constitution for the nation of 18 million people.

Ecuador has struggled to control violent crime as it becomes a key transit point for cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru, with drug trafficking gangs attacking presidential candidates, mayors and journalists, as they fight for control over ports and coastal cities.

President Daniel Noboa, a conservative who has promised an iron fisted approach to crime, is one of the main supporters of Sunday’s referendum. In recent weeks, Noboa has met with U.S. officials to discuss regional security and migration cooperation, and also gave U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a tour of a military base along Ecuador’s coast that could possibly host U.S. troops.

“International cooperation is the only way to dismantle these (drug trafficking) groups, which are transnational criminal networks,” Noboa said Sunday after casting his ballot.

Ecuador has had three different constitutions since the country returned to democracy in 1979, but Noboa says it is time to “rebuild” the country because the current constitution does not give the government enough tools to fight crime.

Voters were also asked Sunday if Ecuador should set up a constituent assembly, a legislative body that would be in charge of rewriting the nation’s constitution. If a majority of voters approves the proposal, an election will be held next year to choose delegates for the constituent assembly.

Noboa has argued that a new constitution should seek tougher punishment for criminals and greater measures to control Ecuador’s borders.

Critics of the president argue that a constitutional rewrite will not solve problems like insecurity and poor access to health and education services. And some fear that a new constitution would decrease legislative and judicial oversight of the executive branch.

In Sunday’s referendum, voters were asked if Ecuador should cut public funding for political parties, and if the number of legislators in the nation’s congress — the National Assembly — should be reduced from 151 representatives to 73.

Noboa says these measures are necessary to cut excessive government spending, while his critics say they could limit political representation, especially in low income communities where resources for political campaigns are scarce.

Voting is compulsory in Ecuador for people under the age of 64. The nation has nearly 14 million registered voters.