Ecuador poised to reject return of US military bases in major setback for Noboa

Ecuadoran voters appeared poised Sunday to reject the return of US military bases, according to early referendum results, a damaging blow to Trump-friendly President Daniel Noboa.

With more than half the votes counted, about 60 percent of Ecuadorans had voted 'no' to lifting a longstanding ban on foreign bases. Nearly 14 million Ecuadorans were eligible to cast ballots on whether to overturn a 2008 ban on foreign military bases in the country.

The rejection blocks the US military from returning to an airbase at Manta on the Pacific coast — once a hub for Washington's anti-drug operations. It is also a major political blow for Noboa, who has staked his political fortunes on tackling rampant cartel violence and trying to forge an alliance with US President Donald Trump.

The vote came against the backdrop of US military airstrikes against alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, a divisive policy that Noboa has backed.

Voters were also asked three other questions: whether they should end public funding for political parties, reduce the number of lawmakers, and create an elected body that would draft a new constitution.

Noboa had hoped a new constitution would give him more powers to tackle crime, curb the power of the judiciary, and reform the economy.

The early count showed those proposals failing by a large margin, too.

The result is a shock. Polls had predicted that Noboa would win on all four questions, and he remains personally popular, having recently won a second term in office.

The referendum took place amid unprecedented violence sparked by turf wars between drug trafficking gangs who transport cocaine from Latin America to North America, Europe, and Asia.