Connect with us

International

Bolivian elections could turn the tide of socialism in Latin America

 


In the last months of 2019, a sudden series of events unleashed the perfect storm in Bolivia. After an election protest and mass protests, President Evo Morales who had served for almost 14 years, saw that his hopes for a fourth term were dashed. Morales, a controversial left-wing leader and Bolivia’s first indigenous president, left the country and an interim government has led La Paz since then.

Now, a year later, Bolivians will finally head back to Sunday’s vote to elect a new president in what will be the second general election in Latin America since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the region. Highlights are elections that could determine not only Bolivia’s democratic future, but also the fate of left-wing movements in South America and beyond.

Political unrest in Bolivia came to a head last year when Morales, South America’s longest-serving contemporary president, faced multiple charges of electoral fraud after being declared the winner of the presidential election. Growing public pressure and large-scale citizen protests ensued, and the Moraless government prompted the Organization of American States (OAS), of which I am a permanent representative, to conduct a mandatory audit of the results. On November 10, the same day the OAS released its report describing serious irregularities and manipulations, Morales resigned. Although Morales and other left-wing politicians around the world have denounced his fall from the ashes and the role of the OAS in a coup, it is clear that his destruction was his.

Since then, Bolivia has continued to face social and political unrest under the interim government of Jeanine ez, formerly a Conservative senator. A source of controversy was the ezs’ announcement in January that she was running for president, as she had initially ousted herself and vowed to guide the country towards new transparent elections. Another has been the decision of governments to postpone the general elections twice because of the pandemic, which has led to protests across the country. In September, I withdrew from the election in a bid to boost the campaigns of other candidates running against the Moraless party, the Movement for Socialism (known by the Spanish acronym MAS).

Sunday’s election will be critical as Bolivia struggles to contain its terrible public and economic health crises and correct the democratic backwardness of the Morale years. According to the latter polls, the general election is likely to result in a second-round election between the two main candidates: left-wing MAS candidate Luis Arce, the former finance minister under Morales administration who is seen as the successor to the former, and centrist Carlos Mesa, the former Bolivian president from 2003 to 2005. MAS controls Congress, but Arce’s former chairman is slipping and elections are approaching. Mesa may have a better chance of winning if he is able to gain support from the voting power that still opposes Morales.

Whatever the outcome of the vote, the war between the countries’ populist left and its centrist liberals, as they are known in Bolivian politics, will resonate throughout the region.


Today’s political confrontation has been going on for years. Despite the start of his government in 2006 with the highest popular support ever of a president in Bolivia’s democratic history, Morales saw his overwhelming popularity that had lasted for more than a decade fade before the recent elections, which culminated with protesters taking to the streets for 21 days to demand his resignation. Under Morales, Bolivia had benefited from high commodity prices and an economic boom, but those periods of growth were later overshadowed by corruption scandals and vanity projects.

The turning point was perhaps Moraless’ s decision to run for a fourth term, which was unconstitutional. After voters rejected a proposed amendment in 2016 to allow his indefinite re-election, Morales appealed to the hand-elected Electoral Court, which ruled that banning his re-election was a violation of his human rights. Because of this, many voters were already angry, even before reports of electoral fraud culminated in OAS electoral scrutiny.

In the OAS audit, forensic experts and specialists found key evidence voting irregularities and manipulation, including hidden servers, pre-filled and modified sheets, and an unexplained 23-hour ban on recording results. Thus the OAS recommended that Bolivia hold new elections. In recent months, they have done some journalistic and academic analysis asked statistical methodology of OAS. But according to the OAS, those analyzes were based on a false premise: that the results reported in the official list were valid. Since then the OAS explained why his findings were correct, and his original report was confirmed by the Bolivian Attorney General and support from the European Union.

The future of the MAS has been uncertain since Morales fled the country last November to Mexico, and then to Argentina, where he currently lives as a refugee. Morales himself has suffered further blows to his reputation, including when he was accused of legal rape in August. (His office has denounced criminal complaint filed by the Bolivian Ministry of Justice.) And support for his party has slipped a little since the MAS protesters set blockades that same month, which prevented medical supplies and oxygen from reaching hospitals amid the pandemic, resulting in 40 deaths, according to the Bolivian government. Now, although MAS candidate Arce previously had a clear lead in the polls, it is unclear whether hell is able to back the ruling party back and turn the country into socialism. The next route would be liberal rule under Mesa, whose main goals include restoring democratic institutions and securing democratic controls and balances in power.

The elections of these months come at a time of great political fragmentation, not only in Bolivia but throughout the region, and they have become a touchstone for Latin America’s largest left-wing project. Initially, this project was known as the So Paulo Forum, which was launched in 1990 under the leadership of Luiz Incio Lula da Silva, who would later become president of Brazil; Then Cuban President Fidel Castro; and Nstor Kirchner, who later became president of Argentina. These politicians and Morales, were part of the regions, the left-populist current, which has begun to retreat due to mismanagement and allegations of corruption.

Today, only Argentina, Mexico and their allies in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua remain bound by this shared ideological vision in the region and, as of 2019, they are now known as the Puebla Group. One of the main goals of the Puebla Groups is to support left-wing candidates in countries where general elections will be held next year, including Ecuador, Chile and Peru.

In the case of Bolivia, according to Bolivian Foreign Minister Karen Longaric in Times Financial, the administration of Argentine Peronist President Alberto Fernndez has continued its unsatisfactory interference in Bolivia ‘s internal affairs on behalf of the MAS, despite complaints to the OAS and the United Nations. This has included the promise of Morales, who is close to Fernndez, that Argentina will work to increase voter turnout among Bolivians living in Argentina to ensure a victory for Arce and MAS. If the left can capture Bolivia, then it will end the regional isolation of Argentina’s left-wing government and finally conquer the heart of South America again.

Overall, the Puebla Group’s international network has the support of the governments of Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina and Mexico; of former Latin American and Spanish presidents including Lula, Ecuadorians Rafael Correa and Spaniards Jos Luis Rodriguez Zapatero; and members of left-wing European parties such as Spains Podemos.


To revive its democratic institutions, the democracies committed to America will need to forge a renewed partnership. In Miami Summit of the Americas in 1994, all 34 American governments, from Canada to Chile with the exception of Cuba were representative democracies willing to commit to the collective defense of democracy and the free market

In the years that followed, however, the mood of the region changed and increasing polarization shattered the 1990s consensus. Today, strong ideological shifts prevail, and some regimes reject political principles and commitments to representative democracy, open markets, and hemispheric integration. on which the post-Cold War inter-American agenda was built, three decades ago.

Amid this polarized climate, the foreign policy challenges facing the region are troubling. In addition to political fragmentation, the future presidents of South America will have to face a threefold crisis: public health, social unrest, and economic problems among inadequate resources and an increase in poverty. Elections in Bolivia can simply shape the way the region begins to address them, and if voters choose strong democratic institutions and a country governed by the rule of law instead of ideology, they will put their country and region on the right track. .

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos



picture credit

ExBUlletin

to request, modification Contact us at Here or [email protected]