(MENAFN) Ecuadorian voters delivered a decisive blow Sunday to President Daniel Noboa's plan for restoring American military presence on their soil, with citizens overwhelmingly rejecting the proposal in a nationwide referendum.

With approximately 95% of ballots tallied, official results show 60.58% voted against Noboa's initiative, which would have authorized foreign troops to operate within Ecuador as part of anti-cartel and counter-narcotics operations.

Noboa publicly accepted defeat following the vote. "We consulted with the Ecuadorians, and they have spoken. We fulfilled our promise to ask them directly. We respect the will of the Ecuadorian people," he wrote on X.

American forces previously maintained operations at a Manta airbase until 2009, when then-President Rafael Correa declined to extend the lease and constitutionally prohibited foreign military installations on Ecuadorian territory.

Noboa had extended multiple offers to U.S. President Donald Trump for troop deployment, proposing various strategic locations including Manta, the coastal city of Salinas, and sites within the Galapagos Archipelago. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Noboa in July during a tour inspecting Ecuador's military facilities.

The referendum unfolded against the backdrop of escalating American military activity throughout the Caribbean, where Trump has authorized strikes against suspected cartel vessels while accusing leftist leaders in Venezuela and Colombia of collaborating with "narcoterrorists."

Simultaneously, Trump has cultivated stronger relationships with right-leaning regional leaders, including Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who proposed housing U.S.-deported migrants in Salvadoran detention facilities.

The vote represents a significant setback for Washington's efforts to expand its military footprint in Latin America amid intensifying regional drug war operations.

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