Bolivian Leftist Violence Sunday During Autonomy Referendum Vote

Police Respond to MAS Thugs in Yapacani to Protect Autonomy Voters

   
Not everything went so smoothly in the rural provinces of Bolivia's Santa Cruz Department during Sunday's vote on the autonomy referendum, which passed by an overwhelming 85.4% - 14.6% vote with a 74.5% overall turnout. The four provinces of Yapacaní, Cuatro Cañadas, San Pedro and San Julián all reported confrontations, and clearly the worst was in Yapacani, where Evo Morales's MAS thugs -- I think the photos here speak for themselves -- showed up to prevent voting violently. The overall impact was minimal however, because Santa Cruz authorities reported that voting went without incident in 96.4% of all precincts, as I reported last night.

Before anyone tries to tell you that Evo Morales and his Movimiento al Socialismo are romantic heroes representing the aspirations of Bolivia's poor, take a look and see the reality. They are nothing less than pure thugs and these photos, all of which I have taken from the Noticiero Digital web site, show their true nature.

For those of you who read Spanish, Martha Colmenares presents a very thorough overview at her site. She includes an article from Venezuelan journalist Alejandro Peña Esclusa on how the Cruceño vote represents a rejection of Hugo Chavez as much as it does of Evo Morales, since Chavez has supported Morales openly, sending large amounts of financial, military, and political aid. She also includes an article from Spain's El Mundo newspaper web site that puts the larger conflict into perspective.

PHOTOS Note:  These are apparently all from the city of Yapacani, in rural Santa Cruz From NoticieroDigital.com

MAS Thugs Arrive

Marching into Yapacani - Note the coca wads under the cheeks

Ballots seized and ready to burn

Burning Ballots 1

Burning Ballots 2

A Bloodied Man is Brought Into a First Aid Station

A Second Victim is Helped to Safety

At Least One Man Killed, This May be Benjamin Ticona Machaca

   
StJacques