Ecuador President Daniel Noboa has proposed the creation of a special body to draw up a new constitution with tougher laws against drug-trafficking and organised crime.
Ecuador used to be an island of peace between Peru and Colombia, the two largest producers of cocaine in the world. It is now the most violent country in Latin America with an astounding 39 homicides per 100,000 people last year.
Noboa, an ally of US President Donald Trump, was re-elected in April as voters endorsed his iron-fisted approach to the rampant cartel violence that led to the country’s rapid decline.
Nestled between Colombia and Peru, Ecuador is the departure point for 70 percent of the world cocaine supply, attracting criminal gangs from overseas. Most of the cocaine is destined for the United States.
The country's existing constitution dates from 2008 and banned the presence of US military bases and troops on Ecuadorean soil, a situation the president wants to change while Trump is in office.
Noboa has seen numerous constitutional amendments struck down by the country's highest court, a setback he now seeks to overcome with a whole new constitution.
On Wednesday he proposed a referendum be held to approve the creation of a "constitutional assembly" to draw up a new constitution. This new document would, in turn, be put to a referendum.
"We present clear questions for the people to express their opinions," Noboa said on X (formerly Twitter).
– TIMES/AFP/SP/LV/MLR/SLA
related news
Foreign investors with Argentina FOMO pile into Brazil stocks
Bolsonaro conviction 'not a witch hunt,' Brazil's Lula tells Donald Trump in 'New York Times' op-ed
Meet the man who wants to run Latin America's most valuable company like a start-up
Comments