Ecuador: 8% of Citizens Voted in the Referendum’s First Hours

April 21, 2024 Hour: 12:25 pm

During Sunday morning, 8 percent of Ecuadorians authorized to vote went to the electoral precincts to cast their vote in the referendum proposed by President Daniel Noboa.

RELATED:

Flood in Alausi Leaves Several Ecuadorians Missing

Diana Atamaint, the president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), said that all the voting stations had already been installed by 10:00 a.m.

She highlighted that the electoral process has taken place so far peacefully and safely. However, in the province of Manabi, the overflowing of a river affected voting in two electoral precincts.

More specifically, the overflowing of the river prevented voters in that province from reaching the Leonidas Espinel Franco schools and the Rafael Aizplua Zambrano campus. This inconvenience, however, affected only about 241 voters.

“We hope that the vote continues peacefully and orderly as it has been happening until now,” Atamaint said, referring to the elections in which more than 13.6 million Ecuadorians have been authorized by the authorities to vote.

#FromTheSouth News Bits | In Ecuador, the current situation of uncertainty is increasing. The declaration of a two-day holiday has not prevented the private sector from continuing with its regular activities. Our correspondent @ElenaDeQuito brings some details from Quito. pic.twitter.com/pdekB6i89c

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish)
April 19, 2024

The eleven questions of the referendum

According to a first assessment, voters are taking an average of two minutes to say “YES” or “No” to the following questions.

1: Are you in agreement with allowing complementary support from the Armed Forces in the functions of the National Police to combat organized crime, partially amending the Constitution?

2: Are you in agreement with allowing the extradition of Ecuadorians, under the conditions, requirements, restrictions, and impediments established in the Constitution, international instruments, and laws, amending the Constitution and reforming laws?

3: Are you in agreement with the establishment of specialized judiciaries in constitutional matters for the adjudication of the jurisdictional guarantees that correspond to them, amending the Constitution and reforming the Jurisdictional Guarantees and Constitutional Control Act?

4: Are you in agreement that the Ecuadorian State recognizes international arbitration as a method for resolving investment, contractual, or commercial disputes?

5: Are you in agreement with amending the Constitution and reforming the Labor Code for fixed-term and hourly employment contracts, when entered into for the first time between the same employer and employee, without affecting the workers’ acquired rights?

6: Are you in agreement with the Armed Forces carrying out permanent control of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and accessories on authorized routes, roads, highways, and corridors for entry into prisons?

7: Are you in agreement with increasing the penalties for the crimes of terrorism and its financing, production and illicit trafficking of controlled substances, organized crime, murder, hired killing, human trafficking, extortionate kidnapping, arms trafficking, money laundering, and illicit mining activities, by amending the Penal Code?

8: Are you in agreement with incarcerated individuals serving their entire sentence within prisons for the crimes detailed in the Annex to the question, by reforming the Penal Code?

9: Are you in agreement with classifying the possession or carrying of weapons, ammunition, or components that are for the exclusive use of the Armed Forces or the National Police as a crime, without affecting firearms permitted for civilian use, by amending the Penal Code?

10: Are you in agreement with weapons, their parts or components, explosives, ammunition, or accessories that were instruments or material objects of a crime being destined for immediate use by the National Police or the Armed Forces, by reforming the Penal Code?

11: Are you in agreement with the State becoming the holder (owner) of assets of illicit or unjustified origin, simplifying the procedure under the Law of Asset Forfeiture?

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Ecuador: Citizens go to the polls for a popular consultation and referendum, amid a new state of emergency due to the energy crisis, insecurity, and the diplomatic conflict with Mexico. pic.twitter.com/rWjo7odtit

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish)
April 21, 2024