In a meeting with representatives of the diplomatic corps, Atamaint enlightened particularities of the electoral day, the scrutiny process and transmission of results, suffrage of prisoners without sentence, in-home voting, campaigns, among other issues.

Over 13 million Ecuadorians are being called to the polls coming Sunday for the consultative process called by President Daniel Noboa and strongly opposed by political and social organizations.

Voters will have to answer 11 questions on security, justice, investments and employment. Five of them would imply changes in the Constitution and the remaining six would entail legal modifications without affecting the Carta Magna.

Some 1,800 reservists of Ecuador’s Armed Forces attended a retraining on Monday to support the security operation during the consultation, which will be held in the context of the “internal armed conflict” declared by President Noboa against organized crime.

Civil society groups have joined the campaign in rejection of President Noboa’s proposals, which they consider misleading.

Considering the opinion of over 45 movements integrated in the Front of Struggle for the No to the Consultation, the president capitalized on the context of uncertainty and fear to call for a process, whose US$60M-cost could be used for social sectors, including education and health.

Tricky, deceitful and useless were some of adjectives used to describe the popular consultation, since most of the questions can be dealt with at the National Assembly (Parliament) and two others, the one related to work for hours and the one related to international arbitration, harm people and the national sovereignty.

pll/jha/avr