Ecuador's National Assembly approves military support for Police without declaring state of exception
Ecuador's Parliament approved a norm with 83 votes allowing the military to act alongside the Police against organised crime. The law now goes to President Daniel Noboa.
National Assembly approves law of military support for Police in Ecuador
Ecuador's National Assembly approved on Tuesday a regulation that enables the Armed Forces to act alongside the National Police in operations against organised crime and in situations of serious disruption in the penitentiary system, without the need to declare a state of exception, according to prensa-latina.cu.
The law received 83 favourable votes from the ruling bloc Democratic National Action (ADN), the Social Christian Party (PSC) and independent legislators allied with the Executive. Citizen Revolution (RC) and Pachakutik voted against.
The regulation implements a constitutional reform approved in a popular consultation in April 2024 that had not yet been implemented. Inés Alarcón, president of the Security Commission and member of ADN, defended the text and asserted that it guarantees human rights, without suspending constitutional guarantees or modifying the permanent functions of the military or police institutions.
The procedure established by the law provides that the general commander of the Police must present a reasoned request to the President of the Republic, who in turn will ask the Joint Command of the Armed Forces for a report on the necessity and scope of the intervention within a period of 48 hours. Following that report, the president will convene the Council of Public Security and of the State to prepare a final report, and will have another 48 hours to issue the authorisation decree.
Military support may not exceed 180 days, although it may be extended for a further 30 days. The Executive must notify the decree to both the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court for the corresponding subsequent review.
During the debate in the plenary, assembly member Paola Cabezas of RC acknowledged the need for military support in the face of insecurity, but questioned that the approved version eliminated provisions on oversight, progressive use of force and responsibilities of officials who exceed their powers. Socialist Christian legislator Alfredo Serrano also noted differences with the text from the first debate, among them the removal of the presidential obligation to submit periodic reports to the National Assembly and to the Constitutional Court.
The bill will now go to President Daniel Noboa, who may veto it or order its publication in the Official Register. Noboa decreed in January 2024 the existence of an internal armed conflict to intensify the fight against organised crime gangs; despite that and other measures, Ecuador closed 2025 with more than nine thousand homicides, a record figure.
Source: Google News EC — Crime