Referendum campaign begins next week with 36 organizations supporting ‘yes’ and four ‘no’

Dec 27, 2017 | 0 comments

Ecuador’s National Elections Commission (CNE) says it has completed preparations for the campaign for and against President Lenin Moreno’s seven referendum questions.

President Lenin Moreno

CNE has certified 40 political organizations and parties to participate in the campaign, 36 that support the questions and four that oppose them. The campaign begins officially on Tuesday and ends on February 2, two days before the February 4 election.

On Tuesday, CNE said it was distributing public campaign funds totaling $3,907,979 to 537 media outlets, including  386 radio stations, 68 television stations, 58 newspapers and 25 billboard companies.

Despite the numerical advantage of “yes” supporters, federal funding is split evenly between the “yes” and “no” camps. Each of the 36 groups supporting the referendum questions will receive $ 54,277 for advertising while the four groups opposing the questions can spend $488,497.

Speaking of the discrepancy between “yes” and “no” supporters and funding allocation, CNE member Paul Salazar explained that it was a matter of fairness. “The rules are based on assuring that both sides of the argument receive equal advertising exposure,” he said.

In the referendum, voters will be asked if they want to return to the original constitutional language that allowed presidents to serve two four-year terms and more. In 2015, Correa pushed an amendment through the National Assembly that allowed indefinite reelection.

Among the other questions are one that will change the role of the Council for Citizen Participation and Social Control (CPCCS) and one that will eliminate a special capital gains tax on real estate intended to combat speculation.

According to two recent polls, more than 70% of Ecuadorian voters support all referendum questions.

Here are all referendum questions

1) Do you agree with the amendment of the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador, so that it sanctions all persons convicted of acts of corruption from holding political in the country and punishes them with the loss of their property?

2) Do you agree to guarantee the principle of alternation of elected officials to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador so that all the authorities of popular election can be re-elected only once for the same office This restores the mandate of the Constitution of Montecristi, nullifying the indefinite re-election approved by amendment by the National Assembly on December 3, 2015.

3) Do you agree to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador to restructure the Council of Citizen Participation and Social Control, as well as to terminate the constitutional term of its current members, and that the Council that transitorily assumes its functions has power to evaluate the performance of the authorities whose designation corresponds to him, being able, if the case, to anticipate the termination of his periods?

4) Do you agree to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador to strengthen laws against sexual crimes against children and adolescents?

5) Do you agree to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador so that metallic mining in all its stages, in protected areas, intangible zones and urban centers, is banned without exception?

6) Do you agree with the repeal of the law against speculation on the value of land and taxation, known as the “Capital Gains Law”?.

7) Do you agree to increase the environmental protection zone by at least 50,000 hectares and reduce the area of ​​oil exploitation authorized by the National Assembly in the Yasuní National Park from 1,030 hectares to 300 hectares?

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