The President of the Republic, Daniel Noboa Azin, through Executive Decree No. 423, signed on June 16, 2026, in the Metropolitan District of Quito, declared a state of emergency due to serious internal disturbance in ten provinces and three additional cantons of the country. The decree entered into force on the date of its execution, notwithstanding its subsequent publication in the Official Registry.

The declaration shall remain in effect for sixty (60) days, that is, from June 16, 2026, until approximately August 14, 2026, notwithstanding that, should the causes that motivated it persist, it may be renewed for up to an additional thirty (30) days, as provided in Article 166 of the Constitution of the Republic.

Main Developments

The decree consists of five articles, the content of which is explained below:

Article 1 – Declaration: declares a state of emergency due to serious internal disturbance in the provinces of Guayas, Manabí, Santa Elena, Los Ríos, El Oro, Pichincha, Esmeraldas, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Sucumbíos, and Azuay, as well as in the cantons of La Maná (Cotopaxi), Las Naves (Bolívar), and La Troncal (Cañar). The complete detail is presented in the table below.

Article 2 – Duration: establishes the duration of the declaration at sixty (60) days, counted from its execution on June 16, 2026.

Article 3 – Suspension of Rights: suspends, exclusively in the provinces and cantons indicated, two rights: the inviolability of domicile and the inviolability of correspondence.

The suspension of the inviolability of domicile allows the National Police and the Armed Forces to conduct searches without prior judicial authorization, but not arbitrarily: only where there are objective and reasonable indications that members of organized armed groups or organized crime structures are being concealed on the premises, or that weapons, ammunition, explosives, or other objects whose use or possession constitutes a criminal offense are located therein, with documentary record of the actions taken and in compliance with due process guarantees.

The suspension of the inviolability of correspondence authorizes the identification, analysis, and interception of communications relevant to preventing or neutralizing the threats that motivated the decree, on an exceptional, individualized, and duly justified basis through a report issued by the competent intelligence body.

Article 4 – Deployment of the Armed Forces in Coordination with the National Police: provides that the Armed Forces shall act, in coordination with the National Police, in the provinces and cantons indicated, for the purpose of safeguarding internal protection, restoring, maintaining, and controlling public order and citizen security, and preventing, countering, or neutralizing any criminal or delinquent activity. In other words, the military support the National Police in a complementary and subordinate manner, without replacing its ordinary powers.

Article 5 – Requisitions: provides for the temporary requisition of lawfully acquired goods and services (for example, vehicles, fuel, machinery, or communication equipment) strictly necessary to ensure the continuity of security force operations. This measure may only be applied in the provinces and cantons where the state of emergency is in force, in cases of extreme necessity and as a last resort, under the responsibility of the competent authorities. Non-consumable requisitioned goods must be returned once the need has ceased or at the end of the state of emergency; if return is not possible, the State must compensate the owner for the fair value of the good or service.

The Executive Decree DOES NOT Restrict Freedom of Movement Nor Impose a Curfew

It is necessary to clarify, clearly and precisely, that Executive Decree No. 423 DOES NOT provide for the suspension or limitation of the right to freedom of movement, nor does it impose any curfew in the provinces and cantons where the state of emergency applies.

Article 165 of the Constitution of the Republic authorizes the President of the Republic to suspend or limit, in addition to the inviolability of domicile and correspondence, other rights such as freedom of movement. However, Executive Decree No. 423 itself, in Article 3, chose to suspend only the rights to the inviolability of domicile and the inviolability of correspondence. The provisions of the decree do not contain any measure restricting the right to move freely throughout the national territory, nor do they impose any daytime or nighttime mobility restrictions.

Consequently, within the provinces and cantons covered by this declaration, individuals may continue to move freely as normal. What is effectively suspended, under the terms and conditions described above, is the inviolability of domicile and correspondence; additionally, the decree provides for the deployment of the Armed Forces in coordination with the National Police and the possibility of requisitioning goods and services strictly necessary for security operations.

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