MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Correa says Noboa's plebiscite was a defeat disguised as a win

Noboa never expected to become president but was favored by Villavicencio's murder and now feels he has enough support to run next year, Correa argued

Former Ecuadorean head of state Rafael Correa said from exile to avoid a prison sentence for corruption that his country's referendum last Sunday in which the current President Daniel Noboa received broad support for nine questions regarding security issues and strengthening the fight against organized crime was “a triumph” for the people ahead of the 2025 elections and a “resounding defeat” for the government.

Correa told EFE that Noboa's bid to create hourly labor contracts to encourage job creation and allow international arbitration in any jurisdiction as a way to attract foreign investment had failed to be endorsed and that those items were the ones that mattered the most to the conservative leader because they were a “part of the agreement with the [International Monetary] Fund.” The leftwing politician claimed that the other nine items concerning the fight against organized crime were “hook questions to say that he has popular support.”

The Citizen Revolution politician was also critical of Noboa for the assault on the Mexican Embassy to capture former Vice President Jorge Glas, who had sought asylum there. Noboa's administration argued that asylum could not be granted to fugitives convicted of corruption.

In Correa's view, Noboa wanted to turn the plebiscite into a springboard for his presidential reelection campaign next year “with funds from the Ecuadorian people.”

“They have given him support to the security part and now he will have no pretext whatsoever,” Correa insisted while recalling that Noboa never expected to become president but was favored by the murder of candidate Fernando Villavicencio. Noboa came to power in November 2023, to complete the term of the resigning Guillermo Lasso and now feels he has enough popular support to run for a full mandate.

Regarding the Armed Forces' involvement in the fight against organized crime, 7 out of every 10 people who attended the consultation, responded favorably in a violence-torn Ecuador.