Ecuador: Laso questions the extent of commitment to the outcome of the environmental referendum | The Yasonidos group announced that it would resort to the Constitutional Court

he Ecuadorean government He has “some considerations” before committing to a result national consultation That last Sunday I decided to suspend oil exploitation in Yasuni National ParkEnergy and Mines Minister Fernando Santos confirmed. The percentage of the vote “yes” to leave crude oil underground in the Amazon Reserve was 59 percent.

“We have a legal doubt. Article 57 No. 7 of the Constitution states that those who must make the decision about starting an extractive activity and ending an oil activity must be residents of the area where the oil field is located. The ITT block is in the field in the province of Orellana,” Santos said. According to the initial results of the consultation, the people of Oriana said no to the consultation, and we want the activity to continue.

The block under discussion is 43 ITT (Ishpingo-Tibutene-Tambokocha) in Yasuni, which is considered a reserve with unusual characteristics.

Until the results of the consultation are known. Government He did not object to the vote of the citizens of the entire country as it seemed now, other than the fact that They campaigned for No to Stop Exploitation.

“Yes, we will comply (in consultation), but we have some considerations to take into account. It will not bulldoze in and destroy existing infrastructure,” the official said in an interview with local television station Ekwavisa.

Article 57 of the constitution stipulates that local communities have the right to “advance, free and informed consultation, within a reasonable period of time, about plans and programs for the exploration, exploitation and marketing of non-renewable resources existing in their lands that may affect them.” environmentally or culturally.

The results of voting last Sunday indicate that 57.99% of the voters in Oriana He said no and 42.01% said yes to ending the exploitation of crude oil.

The official pointed out that at the present time the Yasuni River will continue to be exploited, and a budget of about $600 million will be needed for its dismantling, which is not currently available in the country.

He added that this amount should also be included in the state budget for 2024, the expense account that will be judged by whoever wins the second round of October, between Luisa Gonzalez and Daniel Noboa.

Yasonidos communityOne of the promoters of the consultation called on the population to beware and declared that if the government did not abide by the decision of the citizens He will go to the Constitutional Court to dismiss officials.

And it was precisely the Constitutional Court that endorsed the consultation, which Yasonidos had fought for for ten years.

“We want the country to be aware of this constitutional problem. They are the only ones who can say yes or no according to the constitution,” which “the (constitutional) court must rule itself,” Santos stressed.