Ecuador court authorizes Noboa to call referendum on the appointment of authorities

Guayaquil.- The Constitutional Court of Ecuador authorized President Daniel Noboa to call a referendum in which citizens will be asked whether or not they agree to transfer the competence of the appointment of state authorities to the National Assembly (Parliament), which has an officialist majority. Currently, it is the Citizen Participation and Social Control Council (CPCCS), a body composed of seven people elected by popular vote, which has, among other functions, the mandate to appoint authorities of the Prosecutor's Office, Judiciary Council, Comptroller's Office, among others. But Noboa seeks, through an amendment to the Constitution, to eliminate that power of the CPCCS and proposes that "public processes that guarantee citizen participation, meritocracy and public scrutiny" be implemented and that the Assembly be the one to appoint the authorities through these mechanisms. The president sent the proposal to the Court last September, but it wasn't until mid-March that the high court issued a favorable ruling, with the condition that Noboa make some changes to the annexes of the question and resubmit the final content of the proposal for review. The president made the modifications, but sent them to the National Electoral Council (CNE), which forwarded the document to the constitutional judges.

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The Court reviewed the changes and declared that Noboa complied with what was requested, so it indicated that he could continue with the referendum procedure of in accordance with the Constitution. However, he reminded the president and the CNE that the decisions issued "must be complied with in the terms set", and according to the forms and conditions established in the ruling, as detailed in the document issued on April 16, but which was made public this Tuesday. With the ruling of the Constitutional Court, Noboa can issue an executive decree to call for a referendum, which could coincide with the local elections that were scheduled for February 14, 2027, but which the CNE decided to move forward to November 29, in which the CPCCS councilors will also be elected.