Expected victory amidst an energy crisis

ECUADOR - In Brief 22 Apr 2024 by Magdalena Barreiro

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Ecudorians voted yesterday on the public referendum and consult for 11 questions, 9 of which are related to security and corruption issues, one to international arbitration for public contracts and one for labor hiring by the hour – these two questions are currently prohibited under the constitution and the labor code, respectively. The two last questions were voted no with 65% and 69% of votes against them, respectively. But the other 9 received the approval of citizens fed up with fear of and rage against organized crime and political corruption. However, the counting of votes was extremely slow and, albeit according to the Electoral Council the trend will most probably continue, we do not have a final saying on the matter yet. Additionally, six questions related to security will need changes to the current penal code and those changes have to pass through legislation. After the international impasse with Mexico, when the government captured former Vice President Jorge Glas, Correistas broke the alliance in the assembly, as we announced in our last forecast. Thus, official legislators must achieve a new majority. This will prove tough, even if a bit easier given the internal crisis of Revolucion Ciudadana, which has caused their loss of three of its legislators, downsizing their majority from 52 to 49 legislators. This public consultation was carried out amidst the worst energy crisis of the last four decades and an escalation of violence that forced President Daniel Noboa to sign a new decree of a state of exception for the next 60 days. The general distress caused by electric shortages of up to 8 hours per day, together with a mishandling of information on the part...