Ecuador’s Constitutional Court on Friday struck down two of the five laws fast-tracked under President Daniel Noboa’s “economic urgency” procedure, further intensifying a political confrontation between the executive and the judiciary. Earlier provisional suspensions of certain provisions had already halted parts of the measures over potential violations of fundamental rights.

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The annulled measures — the Organic Law of National Solidarity and the Organic Law of Public Integrity — represented central pillars of Noboa’s legislative programme since securing a full term in April 2025 with a parliamentary majority. The court ruled that the first law improperly merged economic, criminal, and security matters under the expedited process, while the second breached requirements for “unity of subject matter, publicity, and democratic deliberation.”

“These decisions reaffirm that no law can be approved through shortcuts that restrict public debate or lack genuine economic justification,” the tribunal stated.

The National Solidarity Law sought to allocate funds to the police and armed forces to bolster their fight against organised crime within the “internal armed conflict” Noboa declared in early 2024. The law included controversial provisions granting the president the power to issue “anticipatory pardons” to security personnel prosecuted for acts committed under that framework.

The Public Integrity Law aimed to strengthen anti-corruption measures but controversially included harsher penalties for adolescents aged 12 to 18, extending maximum sentences from eight to fifteen years.

Pending before the court is the Organic Intelligence Law, previously partially suspended, which would allow intelligence agents to adopt false identities and require telecommunications companies to disclose user data.

Since his election, Noboa has advanced five laws under the economic urgency mechanism, most recently pension reforms approved this week. The constitutional rulings have escalated tensions, with Noboa leading public protests against the court and calling a referendum for a Constituent Assembly to replace the current constitution — a move now authorised for November 16 despite earlier judicial concerns.

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