In a blow to the policies of leftist president Evo Morales, the Santa Cruz region overwhelmingly voted in favor of autonomy from the central government. In what is seen as a huge rebuke to Evo's radical policies, early results seem to indicate that over 80 percent of the people voted in favor of autonomy. The results were following by widespread celebrations. Morales dismissed the results as illegal, and says he will ignore them. But he will have to deal with the deepening divisions that his policies are causing to his country. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7382538.stm
Really interesting ... especially, since the father of a friend was teaching there on a German school some years ago. http://www.colegioaleman-santacruz.edu.bo/de/institucion/institucion.asp So they wanna become the "Bavaria of Bolivia"...?
This is one of the more interesting (and underreported) political stories ongoing. There was, however, a terrific April Fool's Day story about Santa Cruz turning over management of the province (and the two neighboring ones) to Haliburton - here it is, though the original Democracy Center story did not have the April Fool's greeting at the bottom, and one of my students fell for it totally (of course, the best such jokes have the air of plausibility about them, and this one does have just a hint . . .).
Fascinating follow-up to this as the opposition (which controls the Senate) followed up on the autnonomy referendum by passing a recall measure - that Morales then signed into law. Say what you will about his politics, but Morales is not Chavez - this referendum will be on the up and up unless I misread his motives altogether.
Two more provinces - Beni and Pando - vote this week for autonomy as well. Pretty interesting times in Bolivia.
More idiotic protesting in Bolivia - at U.S. Embassy this time - by Indian supporters of leftist President Evo Morales; protesters are blaiming U.S. for the opinions of right-wing Bolivian politicians. See Reuters article on this protest: Thousands of Bolivians protest at U.S. embassy Mon Jun 9, 2008 3:50pm EDT By Ana Maria Fabbri LA PAZ (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of leftist president Evo Morales protested outside the U.S. Embassy in La Paz on Monday, demanding the United States send home for trial two right-wing Bolivian politicians. The protest followed comments by former Defense Minister Carlos Sanchez Berzain, who told a local radio station last week that a U.S. court had granted him political asylum. The protesters blame Sanchez Berzain and former President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, who also lives in the United States, for the deaths of 60 people and wounding of hundreds more in an army clampdown on anti-government protests in 2003. This seems like a Morales-financed rent-a-mob scene to deflect attention away from leftist Morales and his failures in Bolivia and focus it on U.S. (the protesters "objected" to U.S. flag at Embassy). Similar to leftist Venezuelan leftist President Hugo Chavez, Bolivia's Morales often demonizes the United States in an attempt to deflect attention from Bolivia's own political situation. Using his supporters - largely indigenous Indian native coca farmers - Morales is able to use mobs to enforce his will in the nation. Evo Morales is head of the leftist Movement to Socialism [Movimiento al Socialismo] (MAS) party and Bolivia's current leader. Interestingly, though Morales' supporters now seek the extradition of former Defense Minister Carlos Sanchez Berzain and former President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada - and blame the United States - it is Morales himself who denies the extradition of of terrorist Walter Chavez, Morales' closest political ally, to neighboring Peru! Walter Chávez resigned on February 1, 2007 after being indicted for acts of terrorism in his native country of Peru, which seeks his extradition. Chavez fled Peru following the 1992 coup carried out by Alberto Fujimori to Bolivia where he sought and gained refugee status after presenting his case to the Bolivian government and the United Nations. For 15 years, Chavez made a name for himself in public life as a journalist for numerous newspapers, including La Razon – perhaps Bolivia's most important daily newspaper. Terrorist Chávez was hired by the Morales’ Presidential campaign and continued on as media advisor for the Presidency once Morales took office.
Well, we all know what happened the last time they tried. And that was with much less sophisticated weapons.
New danger of a civil war in Bolivia? http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2008/09/200891203914538443.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7607158.stm http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3640974,00.html