Overview
- The National Electoral Council has called 13.7 million citizens to vote on Nov. 16 in the year’s third nationwide ballot featuring four questions.
- One question would remove the 2008 Constitution’s ban on foreign military bases, which the government frames as a tool against organized crime and critics say jeopardizes sovereignty.
- Another asks voters to end state financing for political parties, a change opponents warn could undercut equal participation in elections.
- A separate item proposes cutting the National Assembly from 151 to 73 members, a move the government says will improve efficiency and detractors argue will concentrate power.
- The final question seeks authorization to convene a Constituent Assembly; each measure requires more than 50% of valid votes, official results are due by Jan. 5, and if the assembly is approved its draft charter would go to a referendum in about 180 days.