The Constitutional Court of Ecuador provisionally suspended President Daniel Noboa’s call to hold a consultative referendum on the establishment of a Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution. The decree was issued without the court’s prior favorable ruling, as required by law.

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This suspension addresses five challenges to the constitutionality of Decree 148, which was issued Friday afternoon. Under the current Constitution, a referendum can only be called after the high court issues a favorable ruling on the constitutionality of the proposed questions.

The Court also “rejects all forms of intimidation.” This follows the arrival of the National Police at the court’s headquarters in northern Quito, where they evacuated judges and staff during a meeting due to an alleged bomb threat, which ultimately proved to be false.

The judicial body announced that it will continue reviewing the claims. Once the process is complete, the full court will issue a final ruling, with the right to defense guaranteed for all parties.

The text reads: CCBulletin | The Constitutional Court accepts challenges to the constitutionality of Decree 148, orders a provisional suspension of its effects, and rejects all forms of intimidation.

The call for this referendum also came amid a context of high social tension following Noboa’s decision to eliminate the diesel subsidy, which has prompted the indigenous movement and other social organizations to organize protests against the fuel price hike, which overnight rose from $1.80 to $2.80 per gallon (3.78 liters).

The government has threatened that road blockades could result in detention and terrorism charges, while Noboa has responded to the unrest by declaring a state of emergency in eight provinces and imposing a nightly curfew in four.

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