Ecuadorian President Proposes Constitutional Reform Allowing Establishment of Foreign Military Bases – JURIST

Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa Azin announced the decision to introduce a bill on Monday to amend Article 5 of the Constitution to allow the establishment of foreign military bases in the country.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the President announced that a “Partial Constitutional Reform Project” would be presented to the National Assembly. official statement of the General Secretariat for Communications of the Presidency stated that President Noboa would submit this bill to substantially amend “Article 5” of the Constitution of Ecuador.

Ecuador’s Constitution, drafted by the Ecuadorian Constituent Assembly, was approved by referendum in 2008. Article 5 of the Constitution states: “Ecuador is a region of peace. The establishment of foreign military bases or foreign facilities for military purposes shall not be permitted. It is prohibited to transfer national military bases to foreign armed forces or security forces.” The statement notes that the presidential proposal would remove all of the specified prohibitions, namely: “Article 5 of the Constitution would read as follows: ‘Ecuador is a region of peace.'”

The video Noboa posted announcing the decision was filmed at the Manta military base in Ecuador’s Manabi province. The base, established in 1999, was leased and operated by the U.S. military to combat drug trafficking. Ecuadorian activists protested the U.S. military presence. Former President Rafael Correa, under whom the constitution was adopted, declared that the lease would not be renewed, leading to the U.S. military formally leaving the Manta base in 2009. The statement from the General Secretariat of Communications of the Ecuadorian Presidency affirmed: “Ecuador is facing a fight against transnational crime. This requires a strong national and international response.”

In January, Noboa declared a state of emergency, officially recognizing an internal armed conflict against organized crime groups after the escape of the leader of one of the country’s most powerful gangs. The state of emergency addressed the escalating violence and criminality of drug trafficking gangs in the country, imposing a curfew and allowing for intervention by the national police and armed forces.

The statement from the General Secretariat for Communications said: “Time has shown that old decisions have only weakened the country in the face of threats that today know no bounds.” In an address to the legislature, it noted: “It is time for the National Assembly to decide which side of history it wants to be on.”