Particle.news
Download on the App Store
18 ARTICLES
·
6h ago

Ecuador Voters Defeat Noboa’s Referendum, Keeping Ban on Foreign Military Bases

The outcome keeps the 2008 ban in place, signaling constraints on Noboa’s security strategy.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, accompanied by his family, votes in a referendum on whether to allow foreign military bases in the country and rewrite the constitution through a constituent assembly, in Olon, Ecuador, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Cesar Munoz)
A man votes in a referendum to decide whether to allow the return of foreign military bases, which Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa says are central to fighting organized crime, and whether they back convening an assembly to rewrite the constitution, in Guayaquil, Ecuador November 16, 2025. REUTERS/Santiago Arcos
People participate in the vote counting process during a referendum to decide whether to allow the return of foreign military bases, which Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa says are central to fighting organized crime, and whether they back convening an assembly to rewrite the constitution, in Quito, Ecuador November 16, 2025. REUTERS/Karen Toro
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shakes hands with Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa at Eloy Alfaro Air Base as flags are adjusted behind them, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Manta, Ecuador.

Overview

  • Official results show 60.3% voted against lifting the ban on foreign bases, and all four Noboa-backed proposals were rejected.
  • Turnout reached about 82.3%, with more than 9 million Ecuadorians casting ballots, according to the National Electoral Council.
  • President Daniel Noboa accepted the result and said he will continue combating organized crime using existing legal and institutional tools.
  • The vote blocks an easy path for a U.S. return to the former Manta facility and complicates Washington’s plans to expand a regional military footprint.
  • The referendum unfolded against record violence, with 4,619 murders in the first half of 2025, as authorities also announced the capture in Spain of alleged Los Lobos leader ‘Pipo’ in a joint operation.