Ecuador

Democracy and the rule of law are under growing strain in Ecuador. 

The country returned to democracy in 1979 and remains an electoral democracy, but its institutions have experienced periods of political instability and democratic backsliding. Rising violence linked to organized crime has intensified these pressures.

President Daniel Noboa took office after a snap election in 2023 and won a full term in 2025. His government has repeatedly declared states of exception, a constitutional mechanism that grants the executive temporary emergency powers, including the authority to limit certain rights. This repeated reliance on exceptional powers has raised concerns about the normalization of emergency rule.

Ecuador’s Constitutional Court has upheld some emergency measures while limiting or rejecting others. In response to decisions constraining his security policies, Noboa has attacked the Court and challenged its authority. The Rule of Law Lab is working to defend the Court’s independence and its vital role as a check on executive power.