If they don't respect their own mechanism, then we go to the streets
In Quito, indigenous leaders and civil society representatives formally petitioned Ecuador's National Electoral Council to initiate a recall process against President Daniel Noboa, opening a constitutional chapter that pits popular discontent against institutional power. The filing, led by indigenous leader Leonidas Iza and attorney Washington Andrade on behalf of over a hundred organizations, channels widespread anger over tax increases and fuel subsidy cuts into the language of democracy. More than two million signatures stand between this petition and a referendum — a threshold that measures not only organizational capacity, but the depth of a nation's grievance.
- Economic measures — a VAT hike from 12% to 15% and the elimination of fuel subsidies — have driven over a hundred organizations into a formal alliance against the Noboa government.
- Leonidas Iza, one of Ecuador's most consequential indigenous leaders, delivered the recall petition personally, signaling that this is not a fringe effort but a mobilization with deep roots and proven reach.
- Police dispersed peaceful demonstrators outside the electoral council with tear gas, revealing the friction already surrounding what organizers insist is a legitimate democratic exercise.
- The National Electoral Council now has seven days to rule on the petition's legal validity — a decision that will either open the signature-gathering phase or risk triggering the street mobilization organizers have explicitly promised.
- Collecting over two million signatures remains the central challenge, and organizers have framed the effort as a 'vigil for democracy,' suggesting they intend to sustain public pressure throughout the process.
On Tuesday in Quito, indigenous leader Leonidas Iza and attorney Washington Andrade walked into the National Electoral Council and filed a formal request to remove President Daniel Noboa and Vice President María José Pinto from office. Iza, who heads Ecuarunari — the confederation of Kichwa peoples — framed the petition as a direct response to economic policies that have burdened ordinary Ecuadorians: a value-added tax raised from 12 to 15 percent and the elimination of fuel subsidies. Outside the building, supporters gathered, chanted, and demanded access to the signature forms that would allow the recall campaign to begin in earnest.
Andrade noted that the three petitioners — he, Iza, and Jorge Cáceres of the Ecuadorian Petroleum Defense Front — filed in their personal capacity, a deliberate legal strategy to protect the broader coalition from institutional pressure. More than one hundred organizations stand behind the initiative, though the path forward is steep: over two million citizen signatures are required before any referendum on the president's future can take place.
Iza did not soften his warning. If the electoral council or the government moves to obstruct the process, he said, organizers will return to the streets — a credible threat in a country where indigenous-led mobilizations have historically brought the nation to a standstill. The afternoon's demonstration remained peaceful, though police ultimately dispersed the crowd with tear gas as it was winding down, a reminder of the tension underlying what organizers insist is a constitutional, democratic act.
The CNE now has seven days to assess whether the petition meets legal requirements. If approved, the signature drive begins. If not — or if the process is blocked — Ecuador may face a confrontation between institutional authority and a movement that has both the numbers and the resolve to press its case beyond the ballot box.
In Quito on Tuesday, indigenous leaders and civil society representatives walked into the National Electoral Council building with a single document: a formal request to remove President Daniel Noboa and Vice President María José Pinto from office. The petition, delivered by Leonidas Iza—a prominent indigenous leader and head of Ecuarunari, the confederation representing Kichwa peoples—and attorney Washington Andrade, represents the opening move in what organizers say will be a sustained campaign to trigger a recall vote.
Outside the council's headquarters, dozens of supporters gathered to witness the filing. They chanted for Noboa's removal and demanded the electoral authority hand over the signature forms needed to begin collecting public endorsements. From a makeshift platform erected on a vehicle, Iza framed the recall as a response to economic policies that have angered ordinary Ecuadorians: the government raised the value-added tax from 12 to 15 percent and eliminated fuel subsidies, moves that ripple through every household and every business in the country.
Iza made clear that this petition represents more than a bureaucratic filing. He called on social organizations and citizens to support the signature-gathering effort and issued a warning: if the electoral system itself becomes an obstacle, organizers will take to the streets. "If they don't respect their own mechanism, then we go to the streets," he said. The threat was not idle. Ecuador has seen sustained social mobilization before, and the indigenous movement has proven capable of shutting down the country when its demands go unheard.
Andrade, the lawyer who co-filed the petition alongside Iza and Jorge Cáceres of the Ecuadorian Petroleum Defense Front, emphasized that the electoral council has a duty to protect democratic rights. He explained that the three men filed the petition in their personal capacity—a tactical choice designed to shield the effort from legal challenges that might target the organizations themselves, some of which face government pressure. Yet Andrade was clear that more than one hundred groups are backing the initiative. The campaign will require collecting over two million signatures, a monumental task that organizers say they will pursue alongside what they're calling a "vigil for democracy."
The legal timeline is now set. The National Electoral Council has seven days to determine whether the petition meets the requirements to move forward. If it does, organizers gain access to official forms and can begin the signature drive in earnest. Should the council approve, those signatures would eventually lead to a popular referendum on whether Noboa and Pinto should remain in office. The stakes are high: a successful recall would force new elections and represent a dramatic rejection of the government's economic direction.
The gathering outside the council building remained peaceful throughout the afternoon. Police, however, dispersed the crowd with tear gas as it was breaking up—a show of force that underscored the tension surrounding the recall effort. For organizers, the moment marks the beginning of a long fight. They have the mechanism, the numbers, and the anger behind them. What remains to be seen is whether the electoral system will allow the process to unfold, or whether the government will find ways to obstruct it.
Citas Notables
If they don't respect their own mechanism, then we go to the streets— Leonidas Iza, indigenous leader and head of Ecuarunari
They have to give us the forms so the people can collect signatures and we can move toward a recall referendum of this government— Washington Andrade, attorney and co-filer
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why file this petition now, in June? What triggered the timing?
The economic measures—the tax increase and subsidy cuts—have been in place for months, but their effects compound. People feel it at the pump, at the grocery store. The anger reaches a threshold where waiting becomes impossible. Organizations decided the moment was now.
The filing was done by three individuals, not the organizations themselves. Why that strategy?
Protection. Some of these groups face harassment from the government. By having Iza, Andrade, and Cáceres file personally, they shield the organizations from legal counterattacks. It's a workaround, but it works.
Two million signatures is an enormous number. Is that realistic?
It's ambitious, but not impossible. The indigenous movement has mobilized millions before. If anger is real—and the economic pain is real—people will sign. The question is whether they have the time and resources to collect them before the government finds a way to block the process.
What happens if the electoral council rejects the petition?
That's when the streets come into play. Iza said it plainly: if the democratic mechanism fails, they mobilize. Ecuador knows what that looks like.
The police used tear gas on a peaceful crowd. What does that signal?
It signals the government sees this as a threat. A peaceful demonstration shouldn't require dispersal. That response tells you how seriously the administration is taking this petition.