Military coup in Bolivia removes president Morales.

[dann]

The Majority Report (July 23, 2020): Bolivian March

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I find it disconcerting that some of the socialists appear to have bought into the hydroxychloroquine idea.

[Clutch Cargo]

Originally Posted by SuburbanTurkey

Haven't seen any posts about this anywhere.

A military coup in unfolding in Bolivia. President Morales has fled to Mexico under fear of being arrested or murdered by the military.

It is becoming increasingly clear that complaints about voting irregularity were just a pretext for a coup.

Jeanine Añez has declared herself the interim president. She is the head of a far-right party that is not popular, carrying less than 5% of the vote.

She has declared that the police and military will not be prosecuted for any murders they commit in order to restore order.

Añez has announced the formation of a "special apparatus" who's mission is to arrest members of the MAS party, who currently hold about 2/3 of the seats in the legislature.

Despite all this, many politicians in the Western world refuse to acknowledge that this is a military coup.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/20...arrest-leftist

Cherchez la CIA.

[lomiller]

Originally Posted by McHrozni

We'll see. I find it amazing how you're still unwilling to criticise the blatant disregard for Bolivian constitution that created the crisis in the first place.

McHrozni

In spirit maybe, but by the letter of the law it was both legal and constitutional because the Bolivian Supreme Court ruled that it was. Populist leaders subverting the checks and balances built into the political system is a problem, but not as big a problem as a party with no support subverting the entire democratic process.

[SuburbanTurkey]

Nationwide general strike in Bolivia since Aug. 3rd in response to the coup government postponing elections for a third time.

https://jacobinmag.com/2020/08/boliv...oup-indigenous

[dann]

Protesters in Bolivia cry out as country is hit by dual crises (CNN, Aug. 13, 2020)

Quote:

A dispatch from Bolivia shows the staggering human toll of the military coup, as an incompetent US-backed regime leaves impoverished citizens to die amid a pandemic. In Cuba, meanwhile, the country’s socialized system has saved its population from the worst of Covid-19.
(...)
At the time of writing, Cuba has yet to see a single medical professional or child die from the virus, and has a total of 2,495 cases. Meanwhile, Bolivia had 1,825 cases of Covid-19 just in the last 24 hours, adding to a staggering national total of 68,281 infections. Cuba has suffered 87 deaths from the virus while Bolivia has suffered a whopping 2,535.
The number of tests carried out is a core component of any Covid-19 strategy, if those who are presenting symptoms or are carriers of the virus are not able to access tests, then it makes tracing and isolating impossible. So far, Cuba, a blockaded country, has carried out 247,203 tests. In Bolivia, where the coup regime has complained that such tests are expensive to acquire, only 134,769 have been carried out.
While Bolivia’s coup regime lets its citizens die, Cuba has nearly defeated Covid-19 (TheGrayZone, Aug. 2, 2020)

[dann]

Not Evo Morales, but maybe more difficult to dismiss by international observers:

Quote:

According to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, the country experienced over 4 percent annual growth in the 13 years that Mr. Morales was in power, a quadrupling of the G.D.P., and more than a 30 percent decrease in extreme poverty.
(…)
Mr. Arce is most likely the only presidential candidate who would steadfastly defend the communitarian economic model of the MAS period in the face of neoliberal pressures to privatize industries.
(…)
MAS still has the highest level of support among the Indigenous and working-class people of Bolivia; in other words, most Bolivians.
(…)
Rather than accept a rising wave of authoritarianism under an Añez administration, the international community ought to support fair elections for Bolivia by Oct. 18, ideally monitored by the United Nations, the European Union and the Carter Center. If that happens, a return to the relative stability and prosperity of MAS under Mr. Arce is a more promising path than either the neoliberal road of Mr. Mesa or a right-wing coalition route led by Ms. Añez.
The Best Answer to Chaos in Bolivia Is Socialism (NYT, Sep. 9, 2020)

[Mader Levap]

Originally Posted by McHrozni

Bolivia initially rescheduled elections to September. If the epidemic subsides in June, then it could probably be moved to August or so.(...)

Man, you are really full of excuses for dictatorships that you like.

I just wonder what next excuse will be, because we both know there won't be any free election in Bolivia any time soon. Better to prepare new set of excuses why it is totally legit (when someone you like does it, that's it) already!

Originally Posted by McHrozni

I find it amazing how you're still unwilling to criticise the blatant disregard for Bolivian constitution that created the crisis in the first place.

Protip for ya: previous dictator being dictator does not justify current dictator being dictator. Brought to you by Captain Obvious.

[SuburbanTurkey]

Most recent polling shows MAS holding a massive lead, likely to win first round victory without need for runoff.

https://twitter.com/KawsachunNews/st...96679004549121

The coup government would end the moment they allowed a free and fair election to go forward. I expect they'll delay until they find a way to fix this problem.

[SuburbanTurkey]

Quote:

BREAKING: Bolivia's self-declared President Jeanine Añez has withdrawn her candidacy following poor approval ratings for her regime. She has not endorsed another candidate, but says that if the pro-coup right does not unite, then 'Morales returns'.

https://twitter.com/KawsachunNews/st...49648397307904

Seems to me that the coup government going to try to hold off elections until such time that the right wing of the country has consolidated around a candidate. All the polling shows MAS in a strong lead and taking a first round win, but perhaps a strategically scheduled election day can tilt the scales.

[Gulliver Foyle]

Originally Posted by SuburbanTurkey

Most recent polling shows MAS holding a massive lead, likely to win first round victory without need for runoff.

https://twitter.com/KawsachunNews/st...96679004549121

The coup government would end the moment they allowed a free and fair election to go forward. I expect they'll delay until they find a way to fix this problem.

Which in South America usually involves chucking people out of helicopters.

[dann]

Originally Posted by Mader Levap

Man, you are really full of excuses for dictatorships that you like.

I just wonder what next excuse will be, because we both know there won't be any free election in Bolivia any time soon. Better to prepare new set of excuses why it is totally legit (when someone you like does it, that's it) already!

The pandemic excuse is only growing stronger: Bolivia is now #6 on the list of Deaths per million. The country just overtook Brazil and may soon overtake Spain.

[SuburbanTurkey]

Excellent article about the coup in The Intercept, focusing on the role of US journalism as propagandists.

Quote:

What makes the coup in Bolivia and its aftermath so worthwhile to explore is not just the inherent importance of Bolivia itself: a country of 11 million people with a rich and unique ethnic, cultural and religious diversity, as well as an ample supply of the now-vital resource of lithium. It is also instructive because of how U.S. discourse evolved in support of the coup, with supposed “foreign policy experts” across the political spectrum — The Atlantic’s Yascha Mounk, Mother Jones’ Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery, former Obama official and Stanford Professor Michael McFaul, along with the Economist, the New York Times, and the Washington Post — spouting outright falsehoods to depict the destruction of Bolivian democracy as the salvation of it.

Since the coup last October, many of the key claims used to justify the ousting of Morales — most particularly claims by the Organization of American States that the election resulting in Morales’s victory was fraudulent — have been proven to have been lies. Yet not a single one of the foreign policy “experts” or media outlets have acknowledged their errors or even addressed these subsequent revelations, because they know that there are never any consequences for journalists and analysts as long as they remain subservient to the U.S. government agenda (while the New York Times reported on the studies proving the OAS claims to be baseless, they never acknowledged that their own reporting and editorializing treated those claims as true).

https://theintercept.com/2020/07/23/...paganda-works/

[dann]

Bolivia descends into chaos ahead of elections (DeutscheWelle, Sep. 24, 2020)

Anez seems to be busy privatizing state property before the election:

Quote:

Labor Minister Oscar Mercado and Productive Development Minister Jose Abel Martinez also announced their resignation on Twitter. Unlike Ortiz, they did not cite a reason for their decision.
Ortiz's resignation comes after he opposed the government's decision to hand back shares of a nationalized electricity company to a group of private shareholders. He had expressed concerns over the decision being taken so close to the elections.
Ortiz said the press conference that the government's decision has no legal backing. "I am not ready to sign just any decree that goes against the legal system or does not have sufficient legal support," he said.
"I do not believe the government, in its last weeks, should make new contracts or important awards that should be left for the next administration," Ortiz said.
Bolivia: Key ministers resign ahead of presidential elections (DeutscheWelle, Sep. 29, 2020)

[Allen773]

Disgusting coup.

[SuburbanTurkey]

The coup is over. The popular socialist party of Bovlia, MAS, wins in a land slide victory Sunday night.

Quote:

The exit poll by the firm Ciesmori, with margin of error of less than 2 percent, indicated that Arce, the candidate of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party, had claimed 52.4 percent of the vote, compared to Mesa’s 31.5 percent and Camacho’s 14.1 percent. A second exit poll by a group of universities and Catholic institutions showed similar figures, giving Arce 53 percent and Mesa 30.8 percent.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...ef7_story.html

Pending official count, the landslide win is enough to avoid a runoff election. Anez's coup government appears to be conceding the election, given the massive popular mandate from the socialist party.

Quote:

She has been blamed for haphazard handling of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as presiding over a wave of repression against leftists during her year in power. Observers say officials in her government as well as senior members of the military brass could potentially face charges from a new socialist government — although Arce told The Washington Post in an interview last week that he would not seek to influence the justice system.

Let's hope some coup leaders get lined up on some walls shortly, any bets who's the first to flee the country to escape justice?

NYTimes admits fault in spreading propaganda about "election irregularities" that played an important role in initiating the coup.

Quote:

But on Sunday, the New York Times published an article strongly suggesting that it was the OAS audit, not the Bolivian election, that was “marred by grave irregularities,” making it “impossible to guarantee the integrity of the data and certify the accuracy of the” OAS claims. The paper of record summarized its reporting this way: “A close look at Bolivian election data suggests an initial analysis by the OAS that raised questions of vote-rigging — and helped force out a president — was flawed.”

https://theintercept.com/2020/06/08/...a-and-the-nyt/

[dann]

And Añez, the leader of the interim coup government, seems to have accepted defeat:

Quote:

The official results of Bolivia's presidential elections are still to come, but the Socialist candidate Luis Arce is already getting congratulatory messages.
The country's interim President Jeanine Añez has said the results so far suggests Arce has won.
"We still don't have the official counting, but from the data we have, Mr. Arce and [vice-presidential candidate] Mr. [David] Choquehuanca have won the election. I congratulate the winners," Añez said on Twitter.
Bolivia awaits official election results, but the Socialist candidate is being congratulated (CNN, Oct. 19, 2020)

The question is how upper-class Bolivians, the police and the army will react, but I don't think they can stage another coup without a civil war.

[SuburbanTurkey]

Originally Posted by dann

And Añez, the leader of the interim coup government, seems to have accepted defeat:




The question is how upper-class Bolivians, the police and the army will react, but I don't think they can stage another coup without a civil war.

It's a dangerous time for sure. It's not too late for a second wave of coup violence and a total abandonment of even the pretense of a democratic system.

A good indicator might be coup leaders fleeing the country. If they aren't going to attempt another power grab, it's probably in their best interests to gtfo before the new MAS government starts investigating all the violent repression that took place during the coup regime.

[dann]

The mainstream media have been remarkably silent so far.

A good video from Rebel HQ:
US propaganda shattered by Bolivias's election results

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Quote:

The official results of Sunday’s twice-postponed election had yet to be announced on Monday afternoon, but exit polls projected that Luis Arce, the candidate for Morales’s Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas), had secured more than 50% of the vote while his closest rival, the centrist former president Carlos Mesa, received about 30%.

Mesa conceded defeat on Monday lunchtime, telling supporters that a quick count showed a “very convincing and very clear” result. “There is a large gap between the first-placed candidate and us … and, as believers in democracy, it now falls to us … to recognise that there is a winner in this election,” Mesa said
Bolivia election: Evo Morales's leftwing party celebrates stunning comeback (Guardian, Oct. 19, 2020)

Quote:

The non-Mas candidates likely also suffered from their identification with the United States. The Trump administration openly rejoiced at the 2019 coup. The OAS, which is funded mostly by Washington, drew increased criticism in Bolivia as evidence mounted of its contribution to the 2019 coup.

The Áñez regime’s almost Trump-like disdain for Covid victims didn’t help the rightwing candidates either. Bolivia has the world’s third-highest per-capita death rate from the pandemic. As patients died, regime officials stole from the healthcare system. The health minister, Marcelo Navajas, was arrested as part of an investigation into alleged corruption involving ventilator purchases, accusations his lawyers deny.
The Bolivian left’s election win is a positive sign, but it inherits a dire situation (Guardian, Oct. 21, 2020)

There are a couple of countries with higher Covid-19 death tolls than Bolivia, but the country is still climbing the list. I hope that stops now.

[Childlike Empress]

Originally Posted by Childlike Empress

I GIMPed a wiphala into my avatar yesterday in solidarity with the people who now suffer under these freaks for a (I predict short) while, but I didn't feel like knowing what the usual suspects here have to relay about what they read in the Guardian or NYT.

Eleven months and it looks like we have a good outcome and my solidarity avatar isn't needed anymore. Which is good timing as I now can go back to an older play on the theme that is timely again.

I came to love the wiphala version, though, and will certainly come back to it in let's say two weeks. For the record:

[dann]

Quote:

The deeper reason for the Mas victory lies in the popularity of its policies. It was those policies and their contrast with the current regime’s – rather than some irrational allegiance to Evo Morales or Mas, as the right often implies – that won the election for Arce.
(...)
Most notably, the quasi-nationalisation of the natural gas industry during Morales’s first year in office dramatically increased state revenues. The resulting public investments and safety-net policies reduced poverty from 60% to 35%.
The anti-indigenous, theocratic and neoliberal ideology of Áñez and Camacho enjoys major support only among light-skinned residents in eastern Bolivia. Mesa’s more technocratic politics appeal to much of the middle class, but not many workers and peasants. And rather than condemning the coup regime’s repression or offering progressive proposals that might help build a working-class base, Mesa’s campaign strategy appeared to focus on siphoning votes from the far-right.
The non-Mas candidates likely also suffered from their identification with the United States. The Trump administration openly rejoiced at the 2019 coup. The OAS, which is funded mostly by Washington, drew increased criticism in Bolivia as evidence mounted of its contribution to the 2019 coup.
The Bolivian left’s election win is a positive sign, but it inherits a dire situation (Guardian, Oct. 21, 2020)

It would be great if it also leads to the downfall of some the instigators of the coup:

Quote:

La Paz.— El Grupo de Puebla pidió la renuncia de Luis Almagro a la secretaría general de la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA) luego de que la participación del funcionario en los hechos que derivaron en el golpe de Estado de 2019 se hizo más evidente ante los resultados de las elecciones de este año. En un comunicado, el grupo explicó que los resultados arrojados en los comicios del 18 de octubre en Bolivia, con una diferencia del más de 20 por ciento para el candidato del Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS), revelan datos de que no hubo fraude electoral en las elecciones de 2019. «Su salida ayudará a recuperar la paz en la región y reactivar la integración regional que tanta falta ha hecho en esta época de pandemia», acotó el Grupo de Puebla.
Grupo de Puebla demanda renuncia de Luis Almagro por relación con golpe de Estado en Bolivia (JuventudRebelde.cu, Oct. 21, 2020)

Google translation: La Paz.— The Puebla Group requested the resignation of Luis Almagro from the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) after the official's participation in the events that led to the 2019 coup d'état became more evident in light of the results of this year's elections. In a statement, the group explained that the results of the elections of October 18 in Bolivia, with a difference of more than 20 percent for the candidate of the Movement for Socialism (MAS), reveal data that there was no electoral fraud in the 2019 elections. "His departure will help restore peace in the region and reactivate the regional integration that has been sorely lacking in this time of pandemic," said the Puebla Group.
Puebla Group demands resignation of Luis Almagro for his involvement with the coup in Bolivia

Bolivia: Left’s overwhelming win a sharp rebuke to Canadian foreign policy (Richochet, Oct. 23, 2020)

Chile could be next - at very long last: Chance for Chile to forge new path in vote to scrap Pinochet-era constitution (Guardian, Oct. 22, 2020)

No word from McHrozni since June ...

[dann]

Luis Arce promises to ‘rebuild’ Bolivia after huge election win - The result, which was a vindication to Evo Morales’s MAS party, also gave majorities in both houses of Congress (AlJazeera, Oct. 23, 2020)

Celebrations as Chile votes by huge majority to scrap Pinochet-era constitution - A plebiscite called in response to street protests in 2019 sees 78% of people back a new charter to replace one imposed by military dictator (Guardian, Oct. 26, 2020)

[dann]

Bolivian judge annuls Evo Morales's arrest warrant (BBC, Oct. 27, 2020)

[SuburbanTurkey]

Quote:

Bolivia's legislature is preparing charges against Añez and numerous key ministers, for their involvement in the massacres of indigenous protesters just after the coup. Others will face charges for corruption in the purchase of tear gas and Covid19 ventilators.

https://twitter.com/KawsachunNews/st...13920803872768

Triumphant MAS intends to prosecute for criminal violence conducted by the coup regime. You love to see it.

I assume most of these coup leaders will flee the country before any kind of real justice is served.

[dann]

Evo Morales returns to Bolivia on Nov. 11:

Quote:

On Monday, a judge in Bolivia annulled an arrest warrant which had been issued against Morales last year for alleged sedition and terrorism, opening the way for his return.
Arce, who won the Oct. 18 presidential elections by a landslide, will be sworn in on Nov. 8, according to Minister of the Presidency Yerko Nuñez.
Evo Morales sets date for his return to Bolivia (AA.tr, Oct. 30, 2020)

I guess he doesn't want to leave any doubt that he recognizes Arce as the new leader of the country.

[Gulliver Foyle]

Originally Posted by dann

Bolivian judge annuls Evo Morales's arrest warrant (BBC, Oct. 27, 2020)

See how the beeb couldn't resist getting a dig in at Morales at the end, even after he's been completely vindicated. Ten years of tory government have destroyed the last few years Bliar didn't manage.

[SuburbanTurkey]

Quote:

On Thursday night, the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) spokesperson Sebastian Michel denounced that Bolivia's President-elect Luis Arce was attacked with dynamite while he was in a meeting at the party's headquarters in La Paz city. No injuries were reported.

Seems like the coup still has a little gas in the tank. The pretense of legitimacy for the coup government is gone, but an open armed takeover remains an option.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/...1106-0001.html

[dann]

Evo Morales to return from exile to Bolivia in 800-vehicle convoy (Guardian, Nov. 5, 2020)
Morales confirms Bolivia return, with chaperone (France24, Nov. 7, 2020)
Bolivia's leftwing president-elect: 'We have reclaimed democracy' (Guardian, Nov. 8, 2020)

[dann]

Inauguration in Bolivia today:

Quote:

The unassuming former economy minister, feted as the architect of Bolivia's rapid growth under Morales, will come into power trying to heal the divisions of a political crisis and the coronavirus pandemic.
(...)
As economy minister, Arce promoted nationalizing strategic sectors such as hydrocarbons and energy, and pushed domestic production with public investments and subsidies, which helped Bolivia grow at one of the fastest rates in Latin America.
Bolivia's Luis Arce set to be sworn in as president as socialists return to power (CNN, Nov. 8, 2020)

[dann]

Thousands of cheering and flag-waving supporters welcomed Morales in Bolivia a year after he was removed from power (AlJazeera, Nov. 9, 2020)

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[dann]

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I would have recommended handing out face masks to his followers.

[dann]

Quote:

But what role Morales – a polarising figure in Bolivian politics – will play now is less clear.
Arce, often referred to by his nickname Lucho, has insisted that Morales will have no role in his new government, and Morales has said that he would only be working on organising with labour unions.

“I will share my experience in the union struggles, because the fight continues,” he told supporters on Monday. “As long as capitalism exists, the people’s fight will continue, I’m convinced of this.”

But experts said Morales, who remains the head of the MAS and continues to command strong loyalty among his core of supporters in rural areas and Indigenous groups, is likely to continue to loom large not only over the party he founded, but on the politics of the country as a whole.

“Returning to the country with this massive reception, Morales is trying to send a twofold message,” said Jorge Derpic, assistant professor in sociology, Latin American and Caribbean studies at the University of Georgia.

“One for the opposition and the international audiences to demonstrate that he still has lots of support and is still a main figure in Bolivian politics,” Derpic said, “and then another message to his own party, an attempt to reassert his position as the most powerful man in the MAS, the one who calls the shots.”
Evo Morales completes triumphant Bolivia return. Now what? (AlJazeera, Nov. 12, 2020)

Many observers would like to see some kind of political rivalry between Arce and Morales, but I doubt that there is any.

[dann]

Quote:

«De consenso decidimos que a partir de este momento Evo asume la presidencia del Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS)», sostuvo el exgobernante.
También anunció que el próximo 21 de noviembre se efectuará una reunión nacional del MAS para evaluar la campaña de las recientes elecciones generales que ese partido ganó con el 55,1% y empezar a sentar las bases para los próximos comicios subnacionales.
Al encuentro están invitados el presidente del país, Luis Arce; el vicepresidente, David Choquehuanca, y los presidentes de las cámaras de Senadores, Andrónico Rodríguez, y de Diputados, Freddy Mamani, ambos del MAS.
Mientras Morales estuvo en Argentina, el vicepresidente del MAS, Gerardo García, tomó las riendas del partido de forma interina y más que nada para facilitar algunos trámites ante el órgano electoral.
Desde fuera del país, el exmandatario fue jefe de campaña de su partido hacia las elecciones generales y ahora es previsible que repita ese rol hacia los comicios subnacionales.
Reasume Evo Morales presidencia del Movimiento al Socialismo (Granma.cu, Nov. 18, 2020)

"By consensus we decided that from this moment on, Evo assumes the presidency of the Movement for Socialism (MAS)," said the former president. He also announced that on November 21 a national meeting of the MAS will be held to evaluate the campaign of the recent general elections that this party won with 55.1% and begin to lay the foundations for the next local elections.
The president of the country, Luis Arce; the vice president, David Choquehuanca, and the presidents of the Senate, Andrónico Rodríguez, and of the Deputies, Freddy Mamani, both from MAS were invited to the rally.
While Morales was in Argentina, the vice president of MAS, Gerardo García, took the reins of the party on an interim basis and mainly to facilitate some procedures before the electoral body. While in exile, the ex-president was his party's campaign manager in the general elections, and now it is to be expected that he will repeat this role in the sub-national elections.
Evo Morales resumes the presidency of the Movement to Socialism

It looks like the 'inauguration' crowd size that Trump can only dream of:

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[dann]

Morales & Arce:

Quote:

The President of Bolivia, Luis Arce, has joined former President Evo Morales for a Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) event in Cochabamba, marking their first get together since Morales’ return.
(...)
President Arce and Morales greeted each other with a handshake and a hug, amid applause and cheers from the militants present in the room.
(...)
"One of the tasks we have is how to take care of President Lucho. That requires a lot of effort and sacrifice. Ideological and programmatic commitment," Morales said, later lamenting the state of public finances after 11 months of the de facto coup government.
"Unfortunately, they left us a shattered economy. I heard some words from Brother Lucho. We are not scared, but we do need time. It is a matter of time before the national economy is restarted again," said the former president.
Evo Morales & Luis Arce Attend First Joint Event Since Evo’s Return (TeleSur, Nov. 21, 2020)

The far-right groups in Bolivia seem to have learned from Trump:

Quote:

But there are threats. The far-right groups have not been dismantled and used prayers, threats, blockades, and/or weapons to try and neutralize the people’s victory and cling to a coup government that had clearly been defeated.
With their Nazi symbolism and hate speech, the Santa Cruz Civic Committee and the Cochala Youth have headed up the defense of coup by alleging –without evidence just as they did one year ago– that on October 18th there was electoral fraud. And even though the Supreme Electoral Court, the Organization of American States, and the U.S. State Department have turned their backs on them, they continue to claim there were irregularities in the election.
Bolivia And Necessary Self-Critique: ‘It Is Not Enough To Have The Government, We Have To Have People’s Power’ ( Nov. 25, 2020)

Arrest of coup-makers:

Quote:

The Prosecutor's Office ordered the arrest of Bolivian Air Force General Alfredo Cuellar over the massacre that occurred in Sacaba city during the protests against the U.S.-backed coup that took place in November 2019.
(...)
The Legislative Commission that investigated the deaths in the 2019 post-electoral conflict determined that ten people died in Sacaba from impacts of gunfire from the Armed Forces and the Police. It is also reported that the military fired chemical substances at demonstrators
General Alfredo Cuellar Arrested Over Sacaba Massacre (TeleSur, Nov. 26, 2020)

[dann]

Bolivia charges 26 police officers for their role in 2019 Washington-backed coup (MorningStar, Jan. 21, 2021)

Quote:

World responses to the raid on the U.S. Capitol had taken a similar tone, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s incredulous claim that the “United States stands for democracy around the world.”
In his inauguration address, Biden made reference to the coup attempt and once again held up the U.S. as an example to the rest of the world:
“America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world. That is what we owe our forebears, one another, and generations to follow.”
But as Biden takes power and the U.S. Senate prepares to hold Trump’s second impeachment trial, it’s important to keep in mind that there was nothing unique about the attempted coup except that it happened at home. Both Republican and Democratic administrations have backed military coups around the world for decades, from Iran in 1953 to Bolivia in 2019.
One study counted 64 covert and six overt coups backed by the United States. Yet the erasing of the history of U.S.-backed coups allows the United States to forget its own acts in toppling other governments, retroactively washing itself clean.
Biden’s peaceful inauguration doesn’t end America’s longtime coup addiction (TheConversation, Jan. 21, 2021)

Quote:

Francesca Emanuele reports on recent attacks on Bolivia’s Movement for Socialism – and how the country’s voters were ultimately undeterred by disinformation tactics
The truth wins out (RedPepper, Jan. 22, 2021)

[dann]

Bolivia is still dealing with the pandemic.

Quote:

Morales, with Vice-President Álvaro Garcia Linera, and Arce as economy minister, ended the 500-year-old system of apartheid against Bolivia’s indigenous peoples. They made Bolivia the fastest growing economy in Latin America with an annual 4.6% average rate of growth; boosted the minimum wage fivefold (from approximately $57 a month to $287 a month); cut extreme poverty from 38% to 17% of the population; reduced illiteracy virtually to zero, and raised average life expectancy from 64 to 71.
(...)
Bolivia’s coup government left the people with a foreign and domestic debt of 4.9 billion dollars. The coronavirus pandemic, and dictatorial rule—marked by regressive economic policy, cuts in taxes for the rich—is predicted to cause a 6% economic contraction World Bank forecasts for 2021.
(...)
Fearing an economic collapse, Arce has not shut down as much business as many people desire. Health workers are upset. Hospitals are filled to near overflowing. Health workers in the most conservative Santa Cruz region conducted a partial 24-hour strike (February 2), demanding a greater lockdown of society, in order to prevent more spreading of the virus and its mutations.
Bolivia’s First Three Months of Pro-Socialist Electoral Victory (CounterPunch, Feb.12, 2021)

[dann]

Bolivia seems to be doing much better after the coup makers were dethroned:

Quote:

According to the Bolivian Information Agency, the economic crisis left by the coup President, Jeanine Áñez, produced a decline of more than 11% in per capita income and a 9% drop in the Basic Services Consumption Quantity Index (electricity, drinking water and liquefied petroleum gas). In addition, public investment fell, the unemployment rate doubled and the National Treasury’s internal debt increased. The causes? The nation's ill-fated return to neoliberalism.
(...)
Bolivia has demonstrated how successful a government can be when its principal goal is to benefit the people, and today, with the return of the Movement Toward Socialism, the failed neoliberal model is not an option. In only three months, Bolivians have recovered the dreams dashed by the savage coup that left 35 dead, 833 injured and 1,504 arrests, and the courts are working to provide justice for the victims.
Bolivia retakes the path to sovereignty (Granma.cu, Feb. 17, 2021)

[Lplus]

Originally Posted by dann

Bolivia seems to be doing much better after the coup makers were dethroned:

On the basis of a report by the official voice of the Communist party of Cuba....

[SuburbanTurkey]

Originally Posted by Lplus

On the basis of a report by the official voice of the Communist party of Cuba....

Communists on one side, CIA backed death squads on the other. Diplomacy in South America is never boring.

I don't see why this claim is so hard to believe. It's undeniable that the previous MAS lead government was responsible for lifting huge portions of the population out of poverty, and that the right wing reaction was largely opposed to these measures.

The rich elites made a grab for power and failed, and now the MAS is rolling back their disastrous policies meant to put the poor back into their place.

Quote:

A new research report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) analyzes Bolivia’s economic changes since 2006 in the context of the Bolivian government’s main policy decisions. It finds that it has been policy choices, not merely a “commodities boom,” that have been the driving force in Bolivia’s surge to be the fastest-growing economy in South America over the past five years. Strong economic growth has allowed Bolivia to reduce poverty by 42 percent and extreme poverty by 60 percent since President Evo Morales took office in 2006.

https://cepr.net/press-release/new-r...-s-presidency/

[Lplus]

Originally Posted by SuburbanTurkey

Communists on one side, CIA backed death squads on the other. Diplomacy in South America is never boring.

I don't see why this claim is so hard to believe. It's undeniable that the previous MAS lead government was responsible for lifting huge portions of the population out of poverty, and that the right wing reaction was largely opposed to these measures.

The rich elites made a grab for power and failed, and now the MAS is rolling back their disastrous policies meant to put the poor back into their place.



https://cepr.net/press-release/new-r...-s-presidency/

Thank you for the link.

I note the importance of renationalising the hydrocarbon production in the increase of government revenues. Hopefully the example of another South American country will be avoided.

[dann]

Originally Posted by Lplus

On the basis of a report by the official voice of the Communist party of Cuba....

Yes: "Granma.cu, Feb. 17, 2021" What is your problem with that? So far, Granma has been much more reliable than western news media.