Evo on Hunger Strike Over Election Rules
The new Bolivian constitution approved by more than 60% of voters in January mandates new Presidential and Congressional elections this coming December. But the precise rules that will govern that election are still in dispute, with all sides jockeying for rules that will play to their political advantage.Yesterday, following a heated debate in the Congress, President Morales announced that he will go on a hunger strike to pressure the opposition-controlled Senate to approve the legislation required for the elections to proceed. Here are the dispatches, all solid, from AP, Reuters and Bloomberg.
At issue are such debates as whether Bolivians living abroad will be eligible to vote – a huge population and one likely sympathetic to Morales – and how Congress will implement the new constitution’s requirement that a dozen congressional seats be set aside for indigenous representatives, another key Morales base.
Morales opponents charge that he is using the hunger strike, and a threatened mobilization of his base to surround the Congress, as coercion against them. Morales backers say that his opponents are blocking implementation of popular will as expressed over and over again at the ballot box.
In reality, this is just the latest round of heated debate over the political rules of the game in country where the forces of politics are in the midst of historic changes.
In 2006 and 2007 the opposition tried to shut down the country over the rules governing the Constituent Assembly, with crowds in the street used to shut down the Assembly altogether. Before that it was Morales and his allies who used those tactics against Presidents Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada and Carlos Mesa on issues such as gas and oil exportation, making the country ungovernable under their watch.
Both sides use the powers at their disposal to gain an upper hand. In the end a compromise of some sort will be reached and the elections will be held. If current polls hold true, Morales will likely win that vote by the same landslide with which he won in December 2005.
But the real issue facing the country – how to create economic opportunity with dignity for all Bolivians – will remain the same.
Labels: Bolivia-politics
posted by The Democracy Center at 8:01 AM
The Democracy Center, based in Cochabamba Bolivia and San Francisco California, works globally to advance human rights through a combination of investigation and reporting, training citizens in the art of public advocacy, and organizing international citizen campaigns. If you like the Blog, consider becoming a subscriber to The Democracy Center's free e-newsletter by sending us an email at 
10 Comments:
I beat you to Morales' "hunger strike" in my previous post, Jim. He better be careful to imitate Hernan Siles Zuazo lest he's kidnapped by the military:
"As it's with all "perfect Latin American idiots" who promoted and organized death and destruction under the excuse of "retaking our natural resources," "social justice," "equality," and all other useless lefty blabbering, the only ones who didn't get "soaked" and rather prospered are such "idiots." (i.e. Olivera et al) There is more debt and corruption in SEMAPA and less water availability than ever for the masses who supported this wanton stupitidy called the "Water War." Jim, one of many foreign friends that the "perfect Latin American idiot" has does know this, but casually dismisses it with a casual, "Yeah, but..." No, Jim. There is NO excuse that you could ever come up with the water situation in Cochabamba is worse than ever. Besides, your viral hate against Bechtel makes one question your objectivity. Water is NOT free (unless it rains on your buckets) and is NOT a human right. Public water management has been un unmitigated disaster around the world and you know it.
Speaking of something else, I know that Cuchi Cuchi worshipper has gained a few (OK, a lot) of extra kilos living a decadent "la vida loca" as president and I knew he was a narcissist despot, but pretending to go Jenny Craig to force his fraudulent Electoral Law to pass through stretches things a bit. As during his old times as scruffy coca union rabble rouser, the "Jenny Craig-in-Chief," wearing sneakers and an old shirt and pants and sitting below barely understandable cardboard signs taped to mirrors and written by undoubtedly "alphabetized Cuban style" bipeds, casually chewed on Choquehuanca's "breakfast of champions" coca for the cameras in the elegant Burned Palace, all the while demanding his fraudulent Electoral Law to pass through. A bunch of monolito lovers (i.e. groveling patooty kissers) displayed equal single digit IQ and followed suit.
Problem is, everybody knows that Jenny Craig "Bolivian Style" -- hunger strikes -- have the curious effect of causing the opposite effect: one gains weight instead of losing it. You see, when all the attention from the press and cameras are gone for the day, that's when the fat faking Gandhi pretenders engorge themselves with salteñas, empanadas, chicha, and beer. Always has been, always will be.
I don't know if Cuchi Cuchi worshipper's political intentions will be successful or not, but I'm willing to bet he'll gain a few kilos. I say at least 5. Do I hear 6? 10?
;-)
The Croats are Morales' Jews
Beni is Morales' Katrina
9:19 AM"
Sorry Jim, but latest polls have Evo pinned at 40%....how come you never mention the fact that the law as it was (like most MAS senators, I have not read the latest draft) made the vote of an indigeneous person be worth twice as much as that of a indigeneous person living in the city? Accidental oversight? methinks not
And the Dept. of La Paz has a population of more than 2 million people while Tarija has less than 400,000, yet has the same voting power in the Senate (bastion of the opposition).
Accidental oversight? methinks not
Uh...and teeny weeny Rhode Island has the same "voting power" as mighty California in the Senate. Same number of senators for each state in Brazil. So?
Methinks.
Exactally my point. Thank you.
Jim I cant believe you wrote this: Before that it was Morales and his allies who used those tactics against Presidents Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada and Carlos Mesa on issues such as gas and oil exportation, making the country ungovernable under their watch.
A light of honesty in what you write. What happened???
Quite interesting you didn’t mention that the Morales regime finally accepted that there is problems with more or less 30% of the electoral vote; which it means that it is probably around 50% of possible maSSist manipulation of the electoral vote, not counting the hundreds of people being issued Bolivian ID in Argentina that no one even knows if they are citizens of our Country.
Funny you didn’t mention that the opposition is not blocking the new electoral vote just because they want to be a pain in the ass; you did imply it; but because they one a correction of an electoral college that as I mentioned above the regime accepts it is screwed up in around 30% of it and funny you didn’t mentioned that it was used to get the 60% vote in favor of the new constitution. Many Bolivians are now wandering if the new constitution didn’t have only 30% of the votes in favor.
Funny, or it is, you didn’t mention that with the maSSist proposition for new electoral law, 1/3 of the Country will have 2/3 representation on congress, and that 1/3 is concentrate in heavily maSSist territory. If the current law passes, it will be like giving Texans 2/3 of the senators of the United States, I don’t think Democrats and the rest of the country will like something like that. Off course, this is not your country you are messing up with, so you don’t give a rat’s ass.
Well, the people of Bolivia know better Jim, we had our little dictators in the past and we know how to get reed of them; and their zealots.
not accept to give up belief, the quality of the pursuit of success.air jordan shoescan see another super basketball star have been created.
Funny you didn’t mention that the opposition is not blocking the new electoral vote just because they want to be a pain in the ass; you did imply it; but because they one a correction of an electoral college that as I mentioned above the regime accepts it is screwed up in around 30% of it and funny you didn’t mentioned that it was used to get the 60% vote in favor of the new constitution. Many Bolivians are now wandering if the new constitution didn’t have only 30% of the votes in favor.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home