Quito [Ecuador], April 22 : People have begun voting in a referendum on proposed tougher steps to tackle gang-related crime in Ecuador amid rising violence that has seen two mayors killed in a week, Al Jazeera reported.
The majority of the 11 questions asked to voters on Sunday focused on tightening security measures. The steps include deploying the army in the fight against the gangs, loosening hindrances to the extradition of accused criminals and increasing prison sentences for convicted drug traffickers.
The increase in insecurity in Ecuador has been blamed on gangs with connections to transnational cartels using its ports to ship drugs to the US and Europe, according to Al Jazeera report.
As the voting started at the Electoral Council in Quito, Ecuador President Daniel Noboa said that the results of Sunday's referendum "will define the course and the state policy that we will take to face the challenge of fighting against violence and organized crime."
Earlier in January, Noboa declared a state of "internal armed conflict," with about 20 criminal groups blamed for a spasm of violence prompted by the jailbreak of a drug boss, who continues to remain on the run.
Dozens of people, including police and prison guards have been kidnapped by gang members. The gang members also opened fire in a TV studio during a live broadcast and threatened random executions, Al Jazeera reported.
Daniel Noboa imposed a state of emergency and deployed soldiers to retake control of prisons in Ecuador, which had become the hub for gang operations that have resulted in the death of over 460 inmates in three years.
Despite the efforts made by the Ecuadorian government, violence continues to persist in the region, which Naboa has considered "a sign that narcoterrorism and its allies are looking for spaces to terrorise us."
At least a dozen politicians, including presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, have been killed in Ecuador since January last year. In the past week, two mayors have been killed, making it three in less than a month.
On Sunday, Daniel Noboa sought the support of the people for his plans to take stringent actions against those responsible for these acts.
People have been asked to approve the expansion of military and police powers, boosting gun controls, and harsher penalties for "terrorism" and drug trafficking.
Noboa has also proposed a change in the constitution so that Ecuadoreans wanted in other nations for organised crime-related offences can be extradited.
Nearly 13.6 million people of Ecuador's 17.7 million population are eligible to vote a "Yes" or "No" ballot during the 10 hours of voting.
Most of the referendum questions are related to crime prevention, even though, Ecuador also faces widespread corruption, a crippling electricity shortage, and a diplomatic spat with Mexico, according to Al Jazeera reported.
In 2023, the murder rate in Ecuador rose to a record 43 per 100,000 inhabitants, witnessing a rise from six in 2018, as per the official date.
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