Ecuadorians reject constitutional changes that put pioneering environmental protections at risk

Ecuador’s voters delivered a decisive message in yesterday’s nationwide referenda, rejecting all four major proposals advanced by President Daniel Noboa with around 53-60% of the votes, with the count ongoing. The outcome marks a pivotal moment for the country’s democratic trajectory, reflecting widespread unease about attempts to reshape core constitutional principles and diminish long-established safeguards for nature and citizens’ rights.

Voting in Ecuador is compulsory, over 80% of eligible voters took part in the referendum, according to the National Electoral Council (CNE). A simple majority decides the outcome, which is binding. A further 11 referendum questions proposed for the ballot by President Noboa were deemed unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court and denied inclusion. 

Although the government presented the referenda as necessary steps to improve security and streamline governance, the electorate refused to endorse the measures. The proposal to permit foreign military bases in Ecuador was rejected by a wide margin, revealing deep sensitivities about sovereignty and external influence. Equally rejected were proposals to curtail party funding and reduce the number of parliamentarians. All three questions would have constituted a change to the Constitution - advanced by the government - making them subject to a mandatory vote in Ecuador. 

Extremely significant was the rejection of a process to convene a specially elected constituent assembly to rewrite the Constitution, which under the Direct Democracy Navigator is classified as a top-down Authority Referendum. Many Ecuadorians viewed this as a risk to the country’s distinctive constitutional architecture, particularly the feted Rights of Nature provisions that have empowered civil society to defend ecosystems against extractive pressures and that is unique in the world.

That fear is rooted in recent experience. In 2023, the citizens-initiated Yasuní referendum delivered a resounding mandate to keep oil in the ground within Yasuní National Park to protect biodiversity and indigenous life. Yet the government has failed to implement the result in full, despite the results of the 2023 referendum being binding. This lack of follow-through, combined with the new reform proposals targeting indigenous activists and civil society, has led critics to warn that direct democracy is being instrumentalised when politically convenient but disregarded when it delivers outcomes that challenge extractive or security interests.

These concerns have intensified with the introduction of Executive Decree No. 60 earlier this year, which merges Ecuador’s environmental and human-rights institutions with ministries responsible for extractive industries and security. A move criticised as placing environmental protection and fundamental rights at the mercy of competing interests, undermining the institutional checks needed to protect both nature and democratic participation. In the past months, at least 61 civil-society leaders and organisations have had their bank accounts frozen while the public prosecutor pursues an investigation into alleged unexplained private enrichment, in what is seen as a crackdown on nature and human rights defenders.

The rejection of yesterday’s referendum proposals must therefore be read in a wider context. For many voters, this was not simply a judgement on specific policy items but a broader assertion that constitutional change requires legitimacy, transparency and meaningful citizen engagement. Ecuador’s experience shows that when political leaders appear unwilling to respect the outcomes of direct-democracy processes, public trust erodes rapidly.

President Noboa has acknowledged the referendum results and pledged to respect the will of the people. The challenge now is to demonstrate in practice that democratic decisions — including those protecting the Yasuní — will be implemented fully and without delay. Ensuring this will be essential for restoring confidence in the tools of direct democracy and strengthening the country’s constitutional order.

Democracy International is following these developments closely, particularly through our work with the YASunidos movement as it continues to defend the democratic gains achieved through citizen-led action. The Yasuní case stands as one of the world’s most significant examples of communities using direct-democracy instruments to protect nature, uphold Indigenous rights and shape their own future.

“At a time when democratic norms are under strain globally, Ecuador’s voters have reminded us that legitimacy depends on honouring citizens’ decisions in full,” said Caroline Vernaillen, Lead Global Policy and Advocacy at Democracy International. “Direct democracy is not a tactic or a rubber-stamp, it is a commitment. Governments must follow through on the choices people make, whether those outcomes align with political convenience, or and even more so when they don’t.”

For media inquiries and further information, please contact:

-    Caroline Vernaillen, vernaillen@democracy-international.org , ++49 221 669 665 30