Inter-American Court throws out claim that referendum question results were illegal

A day after an Organization of American States (OAS) commission claimed that election results for a question on the February 4 referendum should be ignored, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights over-ruled the commission and said Ecuador was within its rights to follow through on voters’ wishes.

Ecuador’s delegation that argued before the Inter-American court on Thursday.

The court criticized the commission for over-stepping its authority.

On Wednesday, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called on Ecuador to suspend efforts to replace the current members of Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control (CPCCS) as a result of the referendum, claiming the question was illegal. Voters overwhelmingly approved replacing CPCCS members and reorganizing the council.

The case had been filed with the OAS by current members of CPCCS who may lose their jobs as a result of the election.

President Lenin Moreno praised the court’s decision, claiming that it upheld he right of Ecuadorians to determine their political future.”The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has accepted the arguments of the government of Ecuadorian and has dismissed the request for provisional measures requested by the human rights commission. This is a triumph for the right and will of the Ecuadorian people. Long live democracy!”

In addition of ruling that the human rights commission did not follow OAS guidelines in protesting the referendum question, the court said the commission had received the case more than a month ago and should have issued its opinion before the election, not after.