Ecuadorians have decisively rejected a proposal to allow U.S. military bases back in the country, according to preliminary results from a national referendum held on Sunday. With approximately 95% of ballots counted, 60.58% of voters opposed President Daniel Noboa’s initiative to permit foreign troops to operate in Ecuador to assist in combating organized crime and drug trafficking.
President Noboa acknowledged the outcome, writing on X: “We consulted with the Ecuadorians, and they have spoken. We fulfilled our promise to ask them directly. We respect the will of the Ecuadorian people.” U.S. forces were previously stationed at an airbase in Manta until 2009, when then-President Rafael Correa declined to renew the lease and banned foreign military bases in Ecuador.
Noboa had pitched several locations for potential U.S. deployment, including Manta, Salinas, and one of the Galapagos Islands. In July, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem toured Ecuadorian military sites and met with Noboa to discuss the proposal.
The referendum coincided with heightened U.S. military activity in the Caribbean, where Trump has targeted alleged cartel vessels and criticized the governments of Venezuela and Colombia for allegedly supporting “narcoterrorists.” The vote also comes amid broader U.S. efforts to strengthen ties with conservative leaders in Latin America, such as Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has offered to house deported migrants in local prisons.
Ecuador’s voters have sent a clear message rejecting foreign troop presence on their soil, signaling both national sovereignty concerns and skepticism over deeper military cooperation with Washington.
