More than 60% voted against a proposal to allow foreign boots on the ground, official referendum results show<\/p>\n
Voters in Ecuador have rejected a proposal to bring US military bases back to the country, in a national referendum held on Sunday.
\nWith around 95% of ballots counted, the official tally shows that 60.58% voted against President Daniel Noboa\u2019s initiative to allow foreign troops to operate in Ecuador as part of efforts to fight organized crime and drug trafficking.
\nNoboa said he accepts the results. \u201cWe consulted with the Ecuadorians, and they have spoken. We fulfilled our promise to ask them directly. We respect the will of the Ecuadorian people,\u201d he wrote on X.
\nUS troops were stationed at an airbase in the port city of Manta until 2009, when then-President Rafael Correa refused to renew the lease and banned foreign bases in Ecuador.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Colombian leader labels Trump \u2018barbarian\u2019 over Caribbean strikes<\/p>\n
Noboa offered US President Donald Trump the opportunity to station troops in the country, at different times pitching Manta, the city of Salinas, and one of the islands of the Galapagos Archipelago as possible locations.\u00a0US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met with Noboa in July as she toured Ecuador\u2019s military sites.
\nThe vote took place during the US military buildup in the Caribbean, where Trump ordered strikes on alleged cartel vessels and accused the leftist presidents of Venezuela and Colombia of aiding \u201cnarcoterrorists.\u201d
\nAt the same time, Trump has sought to strengthen ties with conservative leaders in the region, including Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who offered to house migrants deported from the US in Salvadoran prisons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
More than 60% voted against a proposal to allow foreign boots on the ground, official referendum results show Voters in Ecuador have rejected a proposal to bring US military bases…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22640,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t