Dynamic Situation in Bolivia: Senate Passes Resolution for Referendum to Recall President Evo Morales, Hugo Chavez Threatens Intervention

   

Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales

The Political Situation in Bolivia

Things are proceeding very quickly in Bolivia in the aftermath of Sunday's recall referendum in the Department of Santa Cruz, which voters approved by an overwhelming margin.  Yesterday the Bolivian Senate unanimously passed a referendum resolution which, if approved by more than the 53.7% of voters who elected Morales in 2005, would recall him along with the vice president and the sitting governors (prefects) of the nine departments of Bolivia.  The referendum would take place within 90 days if Morales signs the resolution, which he has promised he will do, according to press reports.

Here is a translation of a short article on the issue from Spain's 20minutos web site:

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Translation:  Evo Morales Agrees to Submit to Referendum for the Ratification of his Mandate

The same measure was proposed a few months ago

Today the Senate, controlled by the opposition, surprisingly and unanimously adopted it

In addition to Morales's mandate, those of the Vice President and the Nine Governing Prefects Are to be Reviewed

The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, agreed to submit his mandate to a revocation referendum that he himself proposed a few months ago and which today the Senate, controlled by the opposition, approved in a surprising and unanimous manner.

The political crisis in Bolivia has thus taken a new turn that guides the country toward a popular referendum to ratify or revoke the mandate of Morales, his vice president, Alvaro Garcia Linera, and the nine prefects (governors), mostly of the opposition.

It was Morales who, in December, 2007, introduced the referendum bill before the National Congress when the country was living through a tense situation regarding the constitutional process.  That proposal, after being approved on the first vote in the Chamber of Deputies, remained blocked in the Senate for several months.

Let the People Say Who Shall Serve

"I want to reiterate my position of submitting ourselves to the people, let them tell us who shall serve and who is not to govern," the chief executive said today, for whom this popular consult "is a way of making democracy more profound" in the country and an expression of respect for the legal process, the rule of law and the National Congress.

The president requested that the Congress send him the referendum convening bill as soon as possible to enact it immediately.

According to Bolivian law, the vote should take place within ninety days following the chief executive's approval.
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There are complications to the process of convening this referendum vote that are not as apparent as one might think at first glance, as explained in an online article on the web site of the Bolivian newspaper El Mundo which offers additional information that may help to put these complex developments in perspective.  In the likely event that Morales approves the referendum call he then will have to involve the Constitutional Tribunal in the process, which at this moment is in limbo following the resignation of four of its five members during the constitutional crisis Morales and his MAS supporters provoked when they prevented the opposition Podemos party delegates to the constituent assembly from voting on the writing and approval of the new constitution, which has yet to be submitted to a popular referendum vote.  It is unclear how this matter will be addressed in the legal process of dealing with the referendum call resolution the Bolivian Senate has just passed.  MAS Senator Felix Rojas voiced his party's fear that the opposition would use this legal hurdle as a justification for avoiding the dialog Morales has demanded as an alternative to the movement for autonomy in the four departments of the so-called Media Luna region in the eastern part of the country, which includes Santa Cruz.  But the President of Bolivia's Senate, Oscar Ortiz (Podemos), stated in a press release today that the opposition is actually moving to face the regime with the illegality of its handling of the constitutional process which he stated "would lead the country into a scenario of confrontation and division."

Hugo Chavez Threatens Intervention

At the same time that Bolivian events appear to indicate that both Evo Morales and his opposition might be looking to the electoral process to settle their differences, the news out of Venezuela portends for the opposite result.

The following is a translated excerpt from the original Spanish posted at Yahoo News:

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Translation:  Chavez Warns That He Will Act To Prevent Separation of Bolivia

Caracas (AP) - President Hugo Chávez said on Thursday that his government "is not going to stand still with arms crossed" if a process of separation in Bolivia is carried out.

"Venezuela is not going to stand still with its arms crossed with all this implies," said Chavez, in a meeting with South American energy ministers at the presidential palace, assuring that his government would intervene if any separation in Bolivia occurs.

"There, yes, it is true, they accused me of interference once, they are accusing me of interference, I plead guilty from now on," he said.

The president reiterated his criticism against the autonomy referendum that was held last weekend in the Bolivian locality of Santa Cruz, and argued that a vote such as that seeks the separation of Bolivia.

"Up to now I am innocent of any interference anywhere, but if something comes to pass (in Bolivia) it simply breaks the rules of the game," he said.

Chavez directly accused the United States of being behind Santa Cruz's autonomy vote.  "The plan against Bolivia is of U.S. origin," he added.

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While it is always possible that El Primer Bolivariano is simply running his mouth, since he never said anything specific, this is a threat that must be taken seriously, given that the Bolivian opposition already has alleged that Chavez has been interfering in their country's affairs to support Morales.  This is not the type of talk one would expect to instill confidence among the opposition that the negotiation process Morales is asking them to join will produce a result that secures their safety in the future.

From the Blogosphere

There is not a lot to see on these two issues right now in English language sources, as for once I am somewhat ahead of the game in getting a post up quickly.  Gateway Pundit has an entry on Chavez's threatened intervention in Bolivia containing a few related links and interesting tidbits of related interest.  Bloggings by Boz has the recall referendum issue up in short form, raising the question of the risks Morales may be taking.

And as is so frequently the case, if you read Spanish, Martha Colmenares has both issues covered in full; including Chavez's threatened intervention (contains a video of Chavez's statement), the Morales recall referendum announcement, and a third on the articles of the recall referendum text.

StJacques
   

Read More. . . .

Bolivian Senate President Accuses Hugo Chavez of Interference

   

Bolivian Senate President Oscar Ortiz in Lima Earlier This Week

For anyone who has not been paying attention, recent events in Bolivia are very troubling. A political, social, and economic meltdown there is the storm that is coming and it already may be too late to stop it. At issue is the proposed new constitution for the country which was both written and voted upon in the Bolivian Constituent Assembly without the full participation of delegates opposed to President Evo Morales and his MAS (Movimiento al Socialismo) party, many of whom were prevented from taking their seats for the final votes in the assembly by mobs of MAS supporters, which guaranteed its passage. The document is now scheduled for a nationwide popular referendum on May 4. As a result of their exclusion from the process the opposition, which has coalesced around the Podemos Party, whose strength lies in the more prosperous agricultural and semi-industrialized eastern departments of Beni, Tarija, Pando, and especially Santa Cruz; has moved ahead with its own plans to schedule "autonomy" referendums. The plan now encompasses six departments, the four have been joined by Chuquisaca and Cochabamba. If the referendums pass, as they almost certainly will, their ultimate impact would separate the six departments from the authority of the new constitution, which still may not be approved according to some recent opinion polls. And a particularly dangerous item to note, the threats from Evo Morales's MAS Party to interject itself violently to stop the autonomy votes has been answered with the raising of a militia in the department of Santa Cruz.


MAS supporters violently prevent opposition delegates from voting on constitution

There are efforts underway to bring about a negotiated or mediated settlement. In one; the Catholic Church attempted to initiate a dialogue between the Prefects (Governors) of the departments scheduling autonomy referendums and the Morales government, but even though all sides met with church representatives, the level of mistrust of MAS by the six departments is so great that nothing was accomplished. Now a second effort is being attempted by the governments of Brasil, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia to offer their services as mediators. The six Bolivian departments, known by the name "Media Luna" for the crescent shape of their contiguous territory as it appears on a map, have said they will not accept Argentina and Brasil as mediators, because they consider their politics to be too closely-aligned with Evo Morales to trust their good offices. This effort continues however.

Earlier this week the President of the Bolivian Senate, Oscar Ortiz, traveled to Lima, Peru to meet with his Peruvian Senate counterpart where he issued a statement that accused Hugo Chavez of meddling in Bolivian affairs and undermining the integrity of the political process there. A translation of an article from the web site of the Santa Cruz newspaper El Deber on Ortiz's statement follows:

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Translation: Oscar Ortiz Denounces "Interference" of Venezuela

"All the government is practically under the control and under the direction of the Bolivarian Project of Mr. Hugo Chavez," Ortiz denounced in a press release, during a visit in Lima, where he spoke with the President of the Peruvian Congress, Luis Gonzales Posado, about the political crisis which his country is living through.

The President of the Senate, Oscar Ortiz, of the Social and Democratic Power (Podemos) opposition criticized what he described as the "interference of the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, overthrowing and affecting the stability of the Bolivian democratic system."

"All the government is practically under the control and under the direction of the Bolivarian Project of Mr. Hugo Chavez," Ortiz denounced in a press release, during a visit in Lima, where he spoke with the President of the Peruvian Congress, Luis Gonzales Posado, about the political crisis which his country is living through.

"Imagine military airplanes arriving that land without any control over the cargo they unload in the country, and our own President of the Republic distributes checks at the week's end to mayors looking to buy their political affections, and they are checks from the Venezuelan embassy in Bolivia that are signed by the Venezuelan ambassador," he specified.

Ortiz added that these resources which Morales delivers are not subject to any fiscal control, "which causes us immense worry."

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If you read Spanish, Bolivia Confidencial has a posting on this issue.

Read More. . . .