A three-part referendum was held in
Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
on 26 November 2006, alongside the run-off for the
presidential elections
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The ...
. Voters were asked whether they approved of a ten-year plan for education,
[Ecuador, 26 November 2006: Ten year plan for education]
Direct Democracy plans to improve healthcare provision,
[Ecuador, 26 November 2006: Improvement of healthcare provision]
Direct Democracy and using oil revenues for social and economic programmes.
[Ecuador, 26 November 2006: Oil revenue for social and economic programmes]
Direct Democracy All three proposals were approved by wide margins.
Background
On 10 August 2006 President
Alfredo Palacio
Luis Alfredo Palacio González (22 January 1939 – 22 May 2025) was an Ecuadorian cardiologist and politician who was the 44th president of Ecuador from 2005 to 2007. He had been the 44th vice president under President Lucio Gutiérrez, unt ...
proposed a referendum with 15 questions. However, this was rejected by the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
, as some proposals involved constitutional changes that required parliamentary approval. On 25 September Palacio issued decree 1871 putting forward three proposals to a referendum. This was approved by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal on 4 October, which also set the date of the referendum.
[
]
Proposals
Ten year plan for education
The ten-year plan for education was put forward with eight main policies:[
#Providing universal education for 0–5 year olds.
#Providing universal education from first to tenth grades.
#Increasing the number of students studying towards the baccalaureate to at least 75%.
#Eradicating illiteracy and strengthening adult education.
#Improving the infrastructure and equipment of educational institutions.
#Improving the quality and equity of education and implementing a national system of evaluation and social accountability within the education system.
#Revaluing the teaching profession and improving the initial training, ongoing training, working conditions and quality of life of teachers.
#Ensuring a 0.5% annual increase of education sector's share of GDP until 2012, or to at least 6% of GDP.
]
Improving healthcare provision
The healthcare proposals would require the National Assembly to approve a law that allocated sufficient financial resources to provide universal health insurance
Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...
, and an annual increase of 0.5% in the share of GDP spent on healthcare until 2012 (or to a figure of at least 4% of GDP).[
]
Use of oil revenues
The oil revenues proposal would require the National Assembly to pass laws within five months that ensured that any revenues from the oil industry that was not already allocated in the state budget would be used for social investment or revitalising the economy.[
]
Results
Ten year plan for education
Improving healthcare provision
Oil revenues
References
{{Ecuadorian elections
Referendums in Ecuador
2006 in Ecuador
2006 referendums