Social organizations and unions gathered in Quito on Wednesday to show their rejection of the referendum to be held this Sunday in the country, in which issues such as the installation of a Constituent Assembly, the possibility of allowing foreign military bases, the reduction in the number of assembly members, and the elimination of public funding for political parties will be voted on.
The protesters, with flags and banners, chanted slogans against the government of Daniel Noboa and marched from the headquarters of the social security in the capital to the historic center, causing traffic cuts on several streets in the city.
The mobilization was called by the Confederation of Ecuadorian Classist Unitary Workers' Organizations (Cedocut), under the slogan 'United and in the street, let's defend our rights. No, for the future of the Ecuadorian people'.
«Social organizations say 'No' to a Government that wants to spend more than 200 million dollars on a Constituent Assembly that seeks nothing more than to take away free higher education and eliminate social security, among other rights,» declared to EFE the national president of the UNE, Andrés Quishpe.
In addition to organizations and unions, those leading the campaign to reject the referendum are the correista Citizen's Revolution (RC) movement, the main opposition force, and the indigenous movement grouped in the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie).
In fact, the Indigenous and Peasant Movement of Cotopaxi (MICC), one of the strongest associations of Conaie, stated on social networks that they have been touring different points in the province for days to convince voters to vote 'No' and not turn Ecuador into a 'dictatorship'.
For its part, the 'Yes' campaign is led by the officialist party of National Democratic Action (ADN) with Daniel Noboa at the helm, who obtained permission from the National Assembly (Parliament) to be absent from his duties as president and join the movement in favor of the referendum until Thursday.
Four days before the vote
The march took place four days before the referendum called by President Daniel Noboa, in which it will be decided, among other points, whether to install a Constituent Assembly to draft a new Constitution and whether to allow the presence of foreign military bases in the country again.
In addition to these two issues, Ecuadorians will have to pronounce on the reduction in the number of assembly members and the elimination of state funding for political parties.
Almost 14 million Ecuadorians are called to the polls (voting is mandatory for those over 18 and under 65) in the 24 provinces of the country.
