Ecuador Approves Law Letting Military Aid Police Without Emergency
Ecuador's National Assembly approved a law on 25 August 2026 that lets the Armed Forces support the police without a state of emergency. The bill passed with 83 votes and now goes to President Daniel Noboa for signature or veto. Opposition lawmakers say the final text stripped out key oversight safeguards. The post Ecuador Approves Law Letting Military Aid Police Without Emergency appeared first…
Ecuador's National Assembly approved a long-awaited law on Tuesday, 25 August 2026, allowing the Armed Forces to aid the National Police in combating organized crime without the president declaring a state of emergency. The Organic Law Regulating the Complementary and Subsidiary Support of the Armed Forces to the National Police passed with an overwhelming 83 votes in favor, 63 votes against and three abstentions.
The bill, which implements a 2024 referendum mandate, will now be sent to President Daniel Noboa for his consideration. It outlines a stringent process for military intervention, involving a request from the National Police, a technical report from the Armed Forces, approval from the Public and State Security Council, and the president's final decree.
The law restricts military support to specific crimes such as drug trafficking, terrorism, money laundering, and organized crime, and sets a deployment limit of 180 days, renewable once. Oversight by the Constitutional Court and the National Assembly is mandatory, and human rights training is mandatory for joint operation personnel.
The law represents a significant shift from the president's previous reliance on emergency decrees, which suspend certain rights and require review by the Constitutional Court.
Written by urgent.news from The Rio Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
