Everything is ready for popular consultation in Ecuador

According to the official, the materials needed to carry out the operation are 100 percent distributed and under the protection of the National Police and the Armed Forces.

“The chain of custody has not been violated and absolute transparency is guaranteed,” Atamint said on Saturday during the ceremony that began voting for more than 429,000 Ecuadorians living abroad.

He also renewed the executive authority's commitment to stop cutting off electricity during the elections, especially after the rainfall in the past few hours, which will allow power generation while the hydroelectric plants remain in the custody of the armed forces.

In addition, about 100,000 uniformed soldiers will be deployed on Sunday, April 21, to ensure calm on voting day.

In Ecuador, voting is compulsory for everyone over the age of 18 and optional for young people aged 16-18, over 65, military personnel, police officers, people with disabilities and prisoners without conviction.

Most of the questions proposed by President Daniel Noboa aim to stop organized crime through militarization, tougher penalties for some crimes, and regulations on carrying weapons and ammunition.

Another question seeks to allow the extradition of Ecuadorians wanted under the judicial system of other countries, something that citizens had already rejected in a popular consultation in February 2023 promoted by then-President Guillermo Lasso.

The referendum also raises the possibility of establishing a system of constitutional courts, accepting international arbitration, and allowing hourly labor contracts, with the idea of ​​stimulating formal employment.

These last two issues have been widely rejected by leftist political groups and social organizations that see them as a loss of national sovereignty and an instability of the labor market.

L/AFR