Ecuador’s president seeks to hold referendum on security measures

Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa said on Wednesday he seeking to hold a referendum on imposing tighter security measures in the South American country, where violence and crime have spiraled in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Noboa, a former legislator and the son of a prominent businessman, took office in November on pledges to reduce violence and create jobs via urgent legislative reforms.
In a nationally televised message on Wednesday, Noboa said he had submitted draft questions for the referendum in a letter to the Constitutional Court, which will have 20 days to respond.
The referendum would seek approval from voters on lengthening prison sentences for serious crimes like homicide and arms trafficking, among others, as well for Ecuador’s military to eradicate international criminal groups operating in the country, according to Noboa’s letter to the court.
Ecuador is facing rising violence – including in prisons where hundred have been killed in recent years – which officials attribute to drug-trafficking gangs amid deep financial troubles and high migration figures.