ECUADOR · SECURITY
Key Facts
- What President Daniel Noboa renewed the state of exception, a legal emergency, for 30 days in eight provinces on 11 November.
- Where El Oro, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí, Pichincha, Santa Elena and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas.
- Movement The renewal sets no new curfew or restricted hours, though a new order could add them.
- Vote Ecuadorians elect local officials on Sunday 29 November, run by the electoral council CNE; campaigning runs 12 to 26 November.
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Ecuador's emergency powers stay in force through the local election campaign. The renewal adds no new limits on when people may travel.
Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa renewed the country’s state of exception for 30 days on 11 November, keeping emergency security powers in eight provinces through the local election campaign. The decree sets no new curfew and no restricted movement hours, El Comercio, a Quito newspaper, reported.
The provinces include Guayas, home to Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, and Pichincha, home to the capital Quito, so the rules matter to visitors and business travellers. A state of exception is a legal emergency that lets the government suspend some rights and use the military in security work.
What the Decree Does
According to El Comercio, Decree 532 was signed on 11 November under the grounds of “grave internal unrest” and keeps the provisions of the earlier Decree 498 of 15 September. The renewed powers include suspending the inviolability of the home and of correspondence, temporary requisitions of goods and services, and the use of the armed forces alongside the police.
The newspaper notes that the decree does not bring a curfew back automatically. Primicias, an Ecuadorian news site, reported in October that a curfew was planned for 1 to 10 November in coastal provinces.
The Election Calendar
Ecuador’s electoral council, the CNE, set the local elections for Sunday 29 November 2026, when voters choose local officials and members of the Citizen Participation Council. The campaign runs from 12 to 26 November, and the CNE plans a second national voting drill on 15 November, El Comercio reported.
Prisoners who have not been convicted vote on 26 November and people voting from home on 27 November, before the general vote on 29 November. The CNE’s calendar is also set out in an earlier report by El Comercio.
What It Means for You
Travellers to the affected provinces should expect a visible military and police presence and should check their government’s travel advisory before going. No new curfew comes with this decree, but a new order could change that.
Our related reports cover Ecuador’s planned copper mine tender and the Ecuador hub.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether the government will add a curfew or a ban on alcohol sales around voting day, or what rules will apply on election day itself. We could not confirm the decree text on the presidency’s website at the time of writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a curfew in Ecuador now?
El Comercio reports that the renewed decree sets no new curfew or restricted hours. Primicias reported in October that a curfew was planned for 1 to 10 November in coastal provinces.
When are Ecuador's local elections?
Sunday 29 November 2026, according to the CNE electoral calendar. Campaigning runs from 12 to 26 November.
Which provinces are under the state of exception?
El Oro, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí, Pichincha, Santa Elena and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, according to El Comercio.
Sources: El Comercio (11 November 2026); El Comercio, CNE election date (2026); Primicias (14 October 2026)
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