Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa will be required to take a leave of absence from office if he wishes to campaign for the national referendum and constitutional amendments he proposed, the country’s top electoral authority confirmed Thursday.
Diana Atamaint, president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), said public officials cannot promote voting positions while in office. “A public servant cannot induce the vote in the exercise of their functions. Therefore, the president must request leave to campaign,” Atamaint said following a consultative council meeting in Quito.
The campaign period for the referendum begins on November 1 and ends on November 13, ahead of the nationwide vote scheduled for November 16.
Noboa, who proposed four questions—three involving partial constitutional reforms and one a popular consultation—will be allowed to participate in the campaign once his leave is formally approved, Atamaint clarified.