An Air Force soldier votes in a referendum proposed by President Daniel Noboa to endorse new security measures aimed at cracking down on criminal gangs fueling escalating violence, in Quito, Ecuador, April 21, 2024
FAIR trade campaigners have welcomed Ecuador’s rejection of investor-state dispute settlements (ISDS) in a landmark referendum on Sunday.
The country’s President Daniel Noboa had been accused of slipping two unrelated questions into a referendum billed as a bid to boost national security and crack down on armed gangs.
Voters backed the nine questions on security, which allow Mr Noboa to deploy the army against gangs, lengthen prison sentences and make it easier to extradite offenders.
LEE BROWN highlights the latest attempts to undo progressive reforms instated during the presidency of Rafael Correa
Noboa’s second term looks set to deepen his neoliberal policies: reduced public investment, privatization, cuts to social programmes, and militarisation, says PILAR TROYA FERNANDEZ
Ecuador’s election wasn’t free — and its people will pay the price under President Noboa
