As crime surges, Ecuador to vote on return of foreign military bases

By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters) -Ecuadoreans grappling with a surge in violent crime will head to the polls on Sunday to decide whether to allow the return of foreign military bases — which President Daniel Noboa says are central to fighting organized crime – and whether they back convening an assembly to rewrite the constitution.

Once considered one of the safest countries in Latin America, Ecuador has become a key drug transit hub in recent years because of its location on the Pacific, triggering an unprecedented security crisis and battering its already-fragile economy.

Recent polls show majority support for convening the constitutional assembly, but voters appear divided on the military bases.

Noboa argues the current constitution, drafted under former leftist President Rafae