Ecuador President Daniel Noboa said Ecuadorians will set the rules for a “new Ecuador” and accused traditional political structures of blocking reforms needed to strengthen his security policy. Photo by Andre Borges/EPA
Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Ecuador President Daniel Noboa announced Thursday plans to call a voter referendum to ask whether they want a constituent assembly. He said the country must "free itself from institutional captivity" and establish a new legal framework to confront organized crime.
In an official statement, he said Ecuadorians will set the rules for a "new Ecuador" and accused traditional political structures of blocking reforms needed to strengthen his security policy.
According to the presidential message, earlier questions submitted by the executive branch for a public vote "were rejected" by the Constitutional Court, a decision Noboa attributed to "political activism" without naming a specific institution or giving dates.
Noboa's decision follows other recent measures, including the Sept. 1 replacement of the entire military leadership, which the Defense Ministry described as a new phase in the war against criminal gangs.
