Quito - President Rafael Correa won Ecuador's vote on judicial and media reforms, but by a smaller margin than forecast, near-final results showed on Wednesday.
Though the outcome will buoy opposition leaders - who had been widely expected to take a heavy beating in the referendum - the result means Correa can still press ahead with a shakeup of courts and other changes likely to increase his power.
“Correa will continue to dictate the government's policy agenda, and it remains unlikely the fractured opposition - however emboldened by a close race - can pose a real challenge to him,” Eurasia Group analyst Risa Grais-Targow said.
The painstakingly slow vote-tally after the May 7 plebiscite showed that with 99.33 percent of ballots counted around the South American OPEC member, Correa's “Yes” campaign had won all the questions, with an average of 47.1 percent.
The “No” campaign had an average 41.1 percent.
Correa, an ally of Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chavez, had already declared victory after the vote when polls and a quick count gave him a much bigger lead in the referendum on ten reforms.
Correa says the reforms are needed to get rid of corrupt and inefficient judges and let police fight crime better - a huge concern in this Andean country of 14 million people.
Opposition leaders say the reforms are a power grab and fear he will appoint allies to top courts. They say a proposal to create a media watchdog threatens freedom of expression.
UK-based newsletter LatinNews said the results showed Ecuadoreans' desire for more reconciliatory politics.
“Correa will face pressure to seek greater consensus as the strong 'no' vote, while not a vote against him, was clearly a vote against his style,” it said.
The charismatic 48-year-old economist has won a string of votes to increase executive power since taking power in 2007, prompting critics to cast him as the latest in Latin America's history of authoritarian leaders or “caudillos.”
He has also boosted state spending on roads, schools and hospitals, making him very popular among the poor majority.
“The vote was closer than pre-referendum polling indicated, suggesting that some voters were unwilling to hand Correa increased power even if they generally support him,” Grais-Targow added.
“Still, Correa will emerge from this referendum with a stronger hand over the country's institutions, and his popularity levels remain strong at 57 percent.” - Reuters