AFTER nearly all votes were counted on Monday, around 6 in 10 Ecuadorians voted against oil drilling in a protected area at the Yasuni National Park in the Amazon— home to indigenous groups such as Tagaeri and Taroemenani who have lived there in voluntary isolation for several years.
In a historic vote, millions of people participated in a nationwide referendum on Sunday.
It comes after activists sounded the alarm about the destruction of the area from which the Supreme Court ruled in May that the measure must be incorporated into the presidential election held on the 20th of August.
More than 5.2 million people voted in favor of keeping crude oil in the ground while 3.6 million people voted against it.
Due to this, the drilling site where state-owned Petroecuador has extracted oil for years is now going to have to close down.
Since extraction began in the 1960s, oil has become Ecuador’s main export.
However, if the referendum passes, the country could lose $1.2 billion in yearly revenue.
This comes as a blow to Current President Guillermo Lasso who says oil drilling is crucial to the economy.
It can be noted that the area holds some of Ecuador’s largest deposits of oil, fuelling pressure to drill in the area.
A decision on the referendum will be finalized in a runoff between lead presidential candidate Luisa Gonzales and her contender Daniel Noboa in October.
