Ecuadorian President Daniel NoboaF’s plan calls for the National Assembly toshrink from 151 members to just 71. This change could save the country about $16 million a year, according to Ecuavisa TV network File Photo by Gaston Britos/EPA
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa wants to reduce the current number of National Assembly members by nearly half.
The proposal will be put to a public vote Nov. 16 in a referendum that will also decide on the return of foreign military bases to the country, elimination of state funding for political organizations and convening of a new Constituent Assembly.
If approved, the National Assembly would shrink from 151 members to just 71. This change could save the country about $16 million a year, according to Ecuavisa TV network.
The potential reduction in the number of lawmakers comes alongside another electoral reform approved on June 20, when Ecuador’s National Assembly voted to change how seats are distributed among parties.
Previously, Ecuador used the Webster method, which gave smaller parties a better chance to win seats. The new D’Hondt system favors larger parties, making it easier for the winning side to secure a majority in Congress and avoid political gridlock.
Analysts say this could improve governability, but it also means less representation for smaller or emerging political groups.
On the streets, the government campaign repeats the slogan “fewer politicians, more country,” but behind that phrase lies a broader debate over what kind of democracy Ecuador wants to build.
The new design calls for 10 national assembly members, one representative from each province and one additional seat for every 400,000 inhabitants, in a country of roughly 18 million people.
From the presidential palace, the government’s message stresses the need for a more efficient, less costly National Assembly that is better aligned with citizens’ priorities.
Diana Jácome, a lawmaker from the ruling party, defended the reform, saying it ensures “true representation” in the Assembly and will allow the state to save resources.
The political opposition, however, argues that the reform will weaken citizen representation.
“By reducing the number of lawmakers, there will be a significant setback for representatives from rural areas and from Indigenous peoples and nationalities,” said Paola Cabezas, a member of the Citizen Revolution party.
Noboa said his proposal “maintains representation for all provinces and eliminates all other fixed seats. In this way, every province in Ecuador will be represented, while the structure of the National Assembly will adapt to the country’s population changes over time.”
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador opposes the proposal.
The group wrote on X that “the people have already decided: to Noboa’s referendum, we say NO. While the country faces hunger, unemployment and hospitals without medicine, the government plans to spend $60 million on a referendum that seeks to eliminate collective, labor and environmental rights, as well as community water management.”
Roberto Zambrano, a law professor at Del Río University, told UPI that “the ruling party is betting on public frustration with the Assembly and voter fatigue over political fragmentation. The opposition, meanwhile, is trying to frame the reform not as a technical adjustment, but as an ideological one.”
