Bolivia

The fightback
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blindpig
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Re: Bolivia

Post by blindpig » Sat Aug 22, 2020 1:47 pm

Adriana Guzmán: We Will Never Be Your Domestics Again
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on AUGUST 17, 2020
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An episode of the documentary “Historias debidas”, on the plurinacional news portal, recounts the journey of the plurinacional feminist delegation through Bolivia after the coup. This is a conversation with Adriana Guzmán about intransigence and resistance.

Stories that must be told

The media are de facto accomplices of the government, they functionalize the Catholic and Evangelical religion for their war reports, paramilitary and parapolitical civilian groups enjoy government approval and operate with impunity, while the community media and alternative media are silenced. Leading activists are criminalized and persecuted. The operative word is lawfare (legal war): sentences are based on fictitious crimes and arbitrary arrests are the order of the day, and hundreds of Bolivians are in jail.

The docufilm “Historias debidas – stories to be told, the coup in Bolivia 2019”, by Andrés Irigoyen (director) and Ana Cacopardo (direction and screenplay) aired on Canal Encuentro on July 15, eight months after the Sacaba massacre. It recounts the massacres of Senkata (El Alto, La Paz) and Sacaba (Cochabamba), racism, discrimination and humiliation of the people and contempt for traditional women’s clothing and for the Wiphala, the flag of indigenous peoples. It contains courageous, moving and unpublished stories of women whose children have been wounded by military helicopters or killed by police. The injured women describe the derisory treatment given to them in hospital, the refusal of treatment and the mocking advice to be treated by some traditional healer or by Morales himself, because they are indigenous and not white.

Community feminism

Feminist Adriana Guzmán describes in an interview the coup d’état of November 10, 2019 and recounts, from the point of view of popular communities, how Jeanine Añez, Arturo Murillo, Fernando López, Karen Longaric and Oscar Ortiz have reigned with unlimited power and arrogance since they took over the government, trampling on the constitution and the law. “For 14 years we have had this wonderful constitution of the multi-national state, written by the people themselves, which has guaranteed us a dignified life”, said Guzmán regarding the violation of constitutional law due to the coup.

We will never be your domestics again

“The Right has prophesied that, sooner or later, we will return to be their maids,” Guzmán is outraged, but adds: “they want to wait, we have answered”. The reports convey anger and sadness, but at the same time they show how important it is not to remain silent, but to publicly condemn the arrogance and brutality of the Añez government.

“They called me a fucking whore.”

Gregoria Sires reports her experience with military and police brutality. Her son Omar Calle was killed on 15 November, during a peaceful march of the cocaleros. “They called me a fucking whore and asked me how much Evo paid me. They took my money, kicked me and broke my hand.” She found out from the news that her son had been killed in the hospital waiting room. “I didn’t even wait for them to treat me,” she sobbed, “I ran straight out of the hospital looking for my son.” The voices of widows, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters who lost a family member in the massacres of the Añez government and its ministers, Arturo Murillo and Fernando López, are not heard on the radio, on TV or in Bolivian newspapers. To find them you have to use international media such as the Argentinean Canal Encuentro, or social networks.

Don’t forget the massacres!

The docufilm is clear: those who speak about life, democracy and freedom every day in the media that support the government are acting with a brutality that must not be forgotten. The people of Bolivia demand justice and regard them as violent and seditious terrorists. How long will it be before the Sacaba and Senkata massacres are atoned for?

Presenza



[Use the autotranslate feature]

She is an activist of Bolivian community feminism. She took to the streets to repudiate the coup that overthrew Evo Morales and during the 8M she shouted the slogan “No coup d’état nor coup for women”. Ana Cacopardo explores Adriana’s biography to understand some keys to the Bolivian process. A trip to Bolivia that brings us the voices silenced by persecution and racist violence.


https://libya360.wordpress.com/2020/08/ ... ics-again/
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Re: Bolivia

Post by blindpig » Sat Oct 10, 2020 11:13 am

Bolivia: Arce Continues Leading Polls Despite Media Attacks

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Arce warned the international community on a wave of violence by right-wing groups as coup government officials have publicly said that they won't accept a MAS victory. | Photo: Twitter/@LuchoXBolivia

Published 9 October 2020 (13 hours 17 minutes ago)

MAS opposition right-wing forces have already tried to stop the socialist party from an expected victory, and some politicians tried to annul MAS from the electoral race but failed.

Movement Towards Socialism (MAS)'s candidate Luis Arce continues to lead the polls in Bolivia ahead of the October 18 elections, according to the latest survey.

teleSUR´s correspondent Camila Escalante reports that Arce´s project remains as the electorate´s first choice despite attempts by local media outlets to undermine the extent of MAS´s popularity.

A survey published today by Your vote counts, the largest carried out in cities and rural areas, shows that Luis Arce leads the poll with 33.6 percent of preference while the Citizen Community party´s right-wing candidate Carlos Mesa slightly upgraded with 26.8 percentage points. This, out of 15.537 people surveyed in 234 municipalities of the nine departments.

However, Escalante has pointed out that according to Your vote counts results, "21.6% of the responses in this voter intention poll wouldn't factor into the actual vote" as the election is decided on valid votes only.

In this sense, Escalante explains that "this presentation of results obscures reality in an attempt to minimize public perception of the extend of Arce’s lead over Mesa as these figures include blank and null response as well as undecided respondents."

New: Latest poll shows Luis Arce leading by 7 points. This presentation of results obscures reality in an attempt to minimize public perception of the extend of Arce’s lead over Mesa as these figures include blank and null response as well as undecided respondents. pic.twitter.com/CuBlAc23MY

— Camila (@camilateleSUR) October 9, 2020
On the other hand, according to the projection of the valid votes by the same intention poll, Luis Arce´s popularity would increase to 42.9 percent, Mesa's to 34.2 percent, and Camacho's to 17.8 percent.

Escalante reports that "all of the media is working to convince voters that Mesa has already won the election. The public is being told that the vote will go to a second round and that if the MAS wins by in the first round, it can only be by fraud."

According to Bolivia's electoral system, any presidential candidate who reaches more than 50 percent of the validly cast votes, or a minimum of 40 percent, with a difference of 10 percent compared to the second most voted candidacy, would stop a second round.

MAS opposition right-wing forces have already tried to stop the socialist party from an expected victory as other politicians tried to annul MAS from the electoral race but failed. In the latest attempt to discredit the Movement Towards Socialism ahead of a first-round victory, Bolivia's Justice Vice-Minister Guido Melgar announced a complaint against Luis Arce for illicit enrichment.

On the other hand, Arce warned the international community of a wave of violence by right-wing groups as coup government officials have publicly said that they won't accept a MAS victory.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Bol ... -0014.html

Boy, that sounds familiar, though MAS is a real people's party as opposed to the Dems. These various attempts to subvert bourgeois democracy must be viewed as part of a necessary evolutionary process, it ain't pretty and people will be hurt but the alternative is the same without progress.
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Re: Bolivia

Post by blindpig » Mon Oct 19, 2020 11:42 am

Socialist Presidential Candidate Arce Wins Bolivia's Elections

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Results of the Bolivian elections broadcast by local media, Oct. 19, 2020. | Photo: Twitter/ @eshaLegal

Published 18 October 2020

The Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) won with 52.4 percent over the parties that were backed by the right-wing interim regime.


After midnight on Sunday, the Bolivian authorities officially announced that the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) presidential candidate Luis Arce obtained 52.4 percent of the votes, the Citizen Community (CC) candidate Carlos Mesa got 31.5 percent, and the "We Believe Alliance" candidate Luis Fernando Camacho reached 14.1 percent of the votes..

Bolivia's president-elect Arce thanked the people for their support and for their peaceful participation in the electoral process.

“We have recovered democracy and hope. We ratify our commitment to work with social organizations. We are going to build a national unity government."

Previously, the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) spokesperson Sebastian Mitchell made an official statement regarding the absence of definitive data on the elections. He said that mainstream media and exit-polls companies know that Socialist candidate Arce had already exceeded 45 percent of the votes.

"Election observers do not understand if the absence of information results from inefficiency or if the government is implementing a strategy to win two or three days, generate violence, and justify a military intervention," Mitchell said.


The Bolivian Socialists' message was categorical and clear: "we call on the community to avoid provocations... let's end this nightmare we have been living for a year."

A few minutes before the official information was issued, former President Evo Morales, who remains a political asylee in Argentina, recalled that millions of Bolivians cast their vote peacefully and demanded that the coup-born regime led by Jeanine Añez respect the results.

“Yesterday we denounced that the authorities suspended the presentation of the results of the exit poll companies. That was suspicious," the Socialist leader said

"Everything indicates that the MAS has won the elections and won a majority of seats in both chambers."

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Soc ... -0018.html

Things are going to get 'interesting', these racist scum are not going to relinquish power. The news coverage here in the empire will be 'interesting' too...
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: Bolivia

Post by blindpig » Tue Oct 20, 2020 11:24 am

THE MAS WINS THE ELECTIONS IN BOLIVIA: EVOLUTION AND RECOUNTING OF A POLITICAL MILESTONE
19 Oct 2020 , 8:29 am .

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Luis Arce and David Choquehuanca, president and vice president-elect of Bolivia this October 18 (Photo: Ueslei Marcelino / Reuters)

Bolivia rises with a new political milestone for itself and for the region, through the victory, until now certified by exit counts, of Luis Arce to the presidency of the Plurinational State.

This highly political event must be classified as emblematic due to its particularities and evolution.

FROM BUENOS AIRES TO COCHABAMBA, THEN TO PALACIO QUEMADO
An institutionally outraged Bolivia saw its powers dismember in the process of escalation and final consummation of the November 2019 coup d'état. With the military forced resignation of Evo Morales, his departure to Mexico and the consolidation of the coup, the days that followed were of blood and chaos.

This caused a wound in the political fabric of the Movement for Socialism (MAS), from the cascading disaster of its leaders before the coup and the political persecution that followed weeks later. All this meant an unprecedented moment of demoralization.

In unison with the rise of Jeanine Áñez, the economic elite and the people of Santa Cruz to the power structure, the dispersion of the MAS components and other social outposts that followed Morales occurred. With the forces that tried to repel and degrade the blow exhausted, the scene seemed of resignation and impossibility.

However, Evo Morales reappeared in exile in Argentina. His immediate task was the recomposition of the political forces beyond his figure and he dedicated himself to regroup and reorganize his support base: a difficult position for an overthrown president and in exile, approached by criticism and in a generalized picture of distress.

By December 2019, the MAS in Parliament engaged in the controversial but intelligent strategy of "living together" and maneuvering with the emerging institutions of the dictatorship, preserving the parliamentary spaces to pressure, from that instance, the permanence of the MAS as a force legal policy and promoting the electoral agenda.

Evo Morales met in Buenos Aires with factors from the Central Obrera Boliviana, mining sectors, indigenous people, peasants, coca growers and other grassroots forces, reuniting and reattaching perspectives for a common roadmap in the face of the new realities.

In January 2020, the MAS is raised in a unitary formula. Despite the discrepancies of the moment and the possibility that the political standard-bearer was David Choquehuanca, because of the same pressures that emerged after the disaster that Morales' displacement meant, the ousted president managed to amalgamate the social forces under his leadership and they accepted the leadership of Luis Arce in the formula.

The strategy seemed obvious. Arce came from conducting the best economic cycle in the contemporary history of Bolivia and was a highly accepted figure in sectors affected by Morales and beyond. However, Arce's figure would have been lazy on its own, without the support of the deep political fabric. Morales made sure to get the support Arce needed.

The rise of this new formula kept its paradoxes. One of them is that, after the coup, the figure of former vice president Álvaro García Linera, widely followed by the Latin American left and, in theory, Morales's successor, disappeared from the political radar.

Arce and Choquehuanca imposed a new momentum and immediately set about leading the internal opposition to Áñez, recomposing the political forces from below, in a synergy between indignation and the electoral roadmap, towards the rescue of the Palacio Quemado, traditional headquarters of the Bolivian presidency, taken over by the coup plotters.

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The Bolivian people went to vote en masse for the MAS (Photo: Página / 12)

THE ESCALATION IN SOCIAL PRESSURE
The advent of the Covid-19 pandemic led to electoral delay. The de facto president Jeanine Áñez proceeded to build an artificial institutional framework tailored to her government, prolonging the electoral period.

His last electoral delay was that of the elections scheduled for September 6. Postponed until this Sunday, October 18, the president again tried another suspension, this time, unsuccessfully.

In this reversal, the social response was key , which reappeared with a level of cohesion that was not seen in the disaster of November 2019. The blockades called by the Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) and the Pact of Unity demanding respect for the date The elections resulted in the almost total paralysis of the country's main routes, lasted for more than 10 days and generated controversy both in the national public opinion and within the popular forces and the MAS.

The road blockade also allowed the COB to enter the scene against the de facto government, who to date had remained on the sidelines of street actions, limiting themselves to declarative confrontations and threats of mobilization. The COB has on its shoulders the burden, let us remember, of having contributed to the consummation of the November coup after demanding the resignation of Evo Morales hours after the same demand from the military high command.

The balance of the blockades represented a turning point that heralded a new advantage for the popular forces. The de facto government, the armed forces and fascist organizations could not dismantle the street actions, showing themselves vulnerable for the first time after the November coup. The coup government concentrated its entire argument against Evo Morales, declaring him a "terrorist" for organizing the mobilizations.

This put a new ingredient on the table: that of the power of social force simultaneously with a political campaign. Both are very powerful ingredients in mass agitation and moralization.

Under the coup plotters' own narrative, Evo Morales led a highly articulated and effective outraged mass force. At the same time, Arce was vigorously leading an electoral campaign, whose lapses extended by the decision of the coup leaders ended up wearing down his opponents and consolidating his own figure as a man of the masses. All this in an area of ​​social conflict in an upward spiral, due to the worsening economy and the poor management of Áñez in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and in governance in general (including the massacres of Sacaba and Senkata at the end of last year ).

In other words, the alignment of components took place that made a "perfect storm" with winds favorable to MAS.

Jeanine Áñez decided to withdraw her candidacy in September to try to favor a second electoral round with Carlos Mesa at the helm. Obvious sign that the electoral consolidation of the MAS and its social response were giving a great balance.

ELECTION DAY
Unquestionably, the institutions founded by Áñez and his team gave all the signs of preparing an electoral coup. With just one day before the elections and using legitimate complaints from the MAS about its methodology , they eliminate the quick vote count and the immediate publication of results. A last minute trap.


Instantly, the electoral observation of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the European Union (EU) present in Bolivia endorsed the controversial decision.

This meant that the country would have to wait a few days for an electoral result to be presented after the total counting of votes and minutes, that is, the perfect habitat for delaying the results, ideal for their fraudulent manipulation.

However, it is worth saying that the election was preceded by various polls that, although they gave Arce an advantage to win the first round, were not entirely conclusive in defining the election on October 18.

To win in the first round, Arce would have to reach more than 40% and have more than 10% advantage over Mesa, the favorite of the divided Bolivian opposition and political architect of the 2019 coup. Hence, the election seemed in doubt to be defined in first round, an ideal electoral scenario for the MAS.

But a fact that was not very outstanding in the projections ended up being devastating in fact. In most surveys, there were between 19% and 24% of respondents who were undecided, or did not respond. They were followers of the MAS, who in a context of persecution and harassment refused to reveal their political militancy for fear of reprisals.

This October 18 the election took place and the statistical milestone of the "hidden vote" took place, as has rarely been seen in Latin American electoral history. That percentage of undecided was clearly inclined in favor of Arce and defined his victory in the first round.

The wait became prolonged after the closing of tables this Sunday 18. The electoral authority was in charge of delaying the counting process, even announcing a stoppage in the early hours of the morning. The scene of confusion was aggravated by the non-publication of results in exit polls, which lasted for five hours after the closing of the tables until their public launch.

The moment seemed ideal for the development of an ongoing fraud, but it seems that the forcefulness of the result in votes dismembered this possibility.

The exit poll conducted by the anti-Masist media Unitel and the firm Ciesmori were the first to publish the exit exit favorable to Luis Arce, with 52.4%, followed by Carlos Mesa with 31.5%; Santa Cruz leader Fernando Camacho had barely 10%. Other exit polls have shown similar trends.

The magnitude of the figure infers that the discrepancy between the exit result, versus the final result of the count, cannot be so different to the point of changing the final result. Arce is elected in the first round.

In these instances, the backstage that generated the delay due to the preliminary results and the setback in the evident intentions of the de facto institution to consolidate its usurpation of power through electoral fraud are indecipherable. What does seem evident is that, if the presented result were different, the social reaction would have taken place in unpredictable ways, in the face of an increasingly sedimented power structure.

Although the official vote count continues and the result is in the process of being endorsed through official channels, Jeanine Añez proclaimed the victory of Arce and Choquehuanca in a reluctant tweet.


Another actor in the coup in Bolivia last year, the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, also congratulated Arce and Choquehuanca for the results.


The political picture in Bolivia changes in circumstances in which it seemed unlikely to happen. Under conditions imposed by a de facto government, the MAS retakes political power through voting, after an intense and hard journey with Evo Morales in exile, but as the undisputed leader and coordinator.

The keys to the Bolivian deed lie in a social and political fabric that remained cohesive, which was rebuilt in record time, in a pragmatic and intelligent political strategy presented at all times and in an effective use of electoral agitation and the agenda of Street. Those are the perfect components for a major political onslaught and it has taken place right in the heart of South America.

https://misionverdad.com/globalist%C3%A ... %C3%ADtico

Google Translator

Glad to be wrong. Special congratulations to MAS, to bounce back like that after the debacle last year speaks of organization and commitment. The class war continues but this battles is a win. The bosses got nothing but force and I'm guessing that the military, rank&file in any case, would be less than reliable if push come to shove and this factor more than any other impelled their capitulation.
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Re: Bolivia

Post by blindpig » Wed Oct 21, 2020 11:33 am

Several Observations About Bolivia’s Socialist Blowout
October 20, 2020 orinocotribune 2020 Bolivia elections, Bolivia's Socialist Blowout, Evo Morales, Luis Arce, socialism
By Andrew Korybko – Oct 19, 2020

All reports indicate that Movement for Socialism (MAS by its Spanish abbreviation) candidate Luis Arce trounced his opponents in Bolivia’s first presidential election since last year’s coup against former President Morales, from which several significant observations can be made about why this development happened in the first place and what it means for the country’s future.

Bolivia’s Socialist Blowout

The political consequences of last year’s coup against former Bolivian President Morales have been reversed following reports that his Movement for Socialism (MAS by its Spanish abbreviation) party’s candidate Luis Arce trounced his opponents in the first election since that successful regime change operation. Several observations can be made about the country’s socialist blowout, both in terms of why this development happened in the first place and what it means for the country’s future. What follows is a list of summarized points accompanied by a concise explanation of their significance. The purpose is to better understand this democratic reversal of Bolivia’s pro-US regime change in the hopes that it might inspire simliar successes elsewhere across the world:

* As Surprising As It Sounds, The Election Was Free & Fair:

Arce couldn’t have won had the election not been free and fair, which is surprising since many observers predicted that the coup authorities would defraud the vote in order to remain in power. This raises questions about why they didn’t do so, which brings the analysis to its next point.

* Defrauding The Vote Might Have Triggered A Civil War:

The Bolivian people briefly rose up against the coup authorities but were savagely forced into submission since they lacked the military means to successfully reverse the regime change by force. Nevertheless, they had the intervening time to prepare for how they’d react to a fraudulent election, which might have led to civil war.

* The Bolivian Military Isn’t As Strong As Its Supporters Thought:

Latin American history is ripe with examples of US-backed militaries clinging to power for decades, yet the Bolivian one seemed unprepared for the scenario of civil war that might have been triggered had they defrauded the vote. It’s unclear why this is, but it’s a curious observation to ponder nonetheless.

* The Threat Of Peaceful Revolts Was An Effective Anti-Fraud Deterrent:

Admittedly speculating a bit, it might have been that the military wasn’t confident in its ability to adequately respond to national strikes, slowdowns, and other such peaceful revolts that might have exploded across the country if they defrauded the vote. This testifies to how effective even the threat of such tactics can be.

* The Anti-Socialists Failed To Unite Behind A Single Candidate:

Competing oligarchic interests in the anti-socialist camp were responsible for its forces failing to unite behind a single candidate. Had they done so, then the election might have gone to a second round, after which they could have potentially defraud the vote in a seemingly more “credible” way if they were desperate enough.

* The 2019 Coup Was Truly Against The Will Of The People:

Most of the Bolivian people were against the 2019 coup, as proven by the simple fact that they voted so overwhelmingly in support of President Morales’ preferred candidate. The coup authorities might have underestimated pro-socialist grassroots sentiment when they opted to hold genuinely free and fair elections.

* Morales Presided Over An Economic Miracle:

Former President Morales was so popular because his model of resource-funded socialism enabled him to preside over an economic miracle that greatly improved the living standards of the majority of his compatriots. Many people the world over vote based on economic issues, and MAS’ socialism has genuine support.

* Mainstream Media Fearmongering About Socialism Is Insincere:

Many Mainstream Media outlets fearmonger about socialism by portraying it as the path to a country’s destruction, yet states whose economies have collapsed such as Venezuela’s suffered because of external meddling, not systemic flaws. The same is true for Bolivia, which should make observers reconsider their views.

* Bolivia Should Brace Itself For Another Counterrevolution:

It’s extremely unlikely that the anti-socialists will peacefully accept their country’s return to socialism, hence why Bolivia should brace itself for another counterrevolution. It might not lead to a coup or violence, but there are other means such as oligarchic-backed regional separatism that could impede their united socialist future.

* The US’ Response Is Uncertain Since This Is Uncharted Territory:

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this might be the first time that a US-backed coup in Latin America was democratically reversed a year after its initial success. This is therefore uncharted territory and it’s unclear how Washington will respond to this unexpected setback. It might be pragmatic, or it could also be problematic too.

——————–

The democratic reversal of last year’s US-backed regime change operation in Bolivia is an epochal moment for South America, the Western Hemisphere as a whole, and even the entire “Global South” if one really thinks about it. Not all the lessons that can be learned from this experience might be applicable to other related situations, but the insight might hopefully be able to inspire creative solutions for repeating this success elsewhere. There’s no guarantee that Bolivia’s return to socialism will be peaceful or smooth, but for now at least, its people and their supporters abroad can celebrate an unexpected victory against the US which gave Trump a bloody nose on the foreign policy front just two weeks before he’s up for re-election.



(OneWorld)

https://orinocotribune.com/several-obse ... t-blowout/

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Bolivians Demand from Carlos Mesa The Pay They Were Promised to Vote For Him
October 20, 2020 orinocotribune Alvaro Uribe, Bolivia, buying votes, Carlos Mesa, Colombia, electoral crimes, Evo Morales, Ivan Duque, La Tabla, MAS, TSE
A group of Bolivians protested through videos disseminated on social networks, expressing their anger after being scammed by former candidate Carlos de Mesa, who once again lost his aspiration to the presidency of Bolivia in the elections held on Sunday and won by Luis Arce of the Movement to Socialism (MAS).

According to the investigative journalism website La Tabla, “the defeated candidate of the right in Bolivia offered to pay close to $15 (100 Bolivianos) per vote. This is what voters who were not paid said in the videos, while denouncing that they had been tricked for two days with promises of payment.

The information was disseminated on Twitter, where people are observed complaining about the Mesa scam, which recalls the scandal committed by former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, and current President Iván Duque, denounced for having committed this same electoral crime in Colombia.

Luis Arce, according to exit polls, and also by the very slow counting process performed by the Bolivian Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), won the presidency with more that 50% of the votes. Some analysts estimated that the final result might put him close to 55%. But Carlos Mesa, even with these illegal tricks, was not able to reach more than 20% of the votes, a fact that many experts associate with the affection of many Bolivians for the times of Evo Morales, and for the terrible political, security, economic measures, and COVID-19 management, by the de facto Jeanine Áñez government.


Featured image: Carlos Mesa and OAS’ Luis Almagro, the main international promoter of the coup d’état against Evo Morales in 2019. File photo.

(La IguanaTV)

Translation: OT/JRE/SL

https://orinocotribune.com/bolivians-de ... e-for-him/

Serves the dumbfucks right. They cheat us every day, why should that transaction be any different?
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Re: Bolivia

Post by blindpig » Thu Oct 22, 2020 1:58 pm

Bolivia: The Return of the Left
October 21, 2020
By Atilio A. Boron – Oct 20, 2020

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The elections demonstrated that the MAS is the only existing social force in all of Bolivia.

The resounding victory of the MAS in the Bolivian presidential elections ratified the social density of the political organization of the Bolivian peoples .

The figures took even the most rigorous analysts by surprise: the surveys carried out by four of the five most renowned consulting firms in Bolivia anticipated a vote for the MAS binomial that oscillated around 45 percent of the votes and close to 34 percent. for his most immediate pursuer, Carlos Mesa.

In other words, Evoism voters concealed their intention to vote while at the same time overestimating the real support base of Comunidad Ciudadana.

The victory was much broader than expected, as assured by the two consultants certified by the government to carry out the “exit points”: CIESMORI and Jubileo. Both assign to the Arce-Choquehuanca formula a proportion that oscillates around 52 percent of the votes and Mesa-Pedraza only 31 percent . Some observers venture that the final figure will be around 55 percent.

In the early hours of the morning, a tweet from the dictator Jeannine Añez said that “due to the data we have, Mr. Arce and Mr. Choquehuanca have won the election. I congratulate the winners and ask them to govern with Bolivia and democracy in mind. ” (That is, to rule as she did not). At noon Carlos Mesa recognized the triumph of the MAS.

The official counts of the 35,000 polling stations have not yet been published and it would be foolish to think that the imperialist enemy and its allies on the racist right will respectfully bow to the verdict at the polls .

Difficult (but not impossible) that there may be surprises or last minute maneuvers to frustrate the will of the Bolivian people. If the difference had been less, say about twelve or thirteen points, surely the bandits under Luis Almagro’s command would have repeated what they did just a year ago and stole the election; but with a difference of twenty points or more the maneuver would be thwarted by its intolerable obscenity.

Anyway, the official figures will only be released on Wednesday and then we will know what the next move from the right is.

The elections demonstrated that the MAS is the only existing social force in all of Bolivia . Carlos Mesa demonstrated that it is an electoral seal, a conspiracy of groups that only had in common their hatred of Evo and what he represents. And Luis Fernado Camacho is the leader of an important social force whose stronghold is Santa Cruz de la Sierra. But outside that department – which is equivalent to a third of the national territory – its gravity is very low. Building a right with solid foundations at the national level is an arduous task, which in Bolivia, even with the terrorist violence of its dictatorship, the complicity of judges and prosecutors, and the support of the media sewer at the service of the empire, proved to be a mission doomed to failure.

The deep political crisis in which the United States is debating on the eve of a complicated presidential election reduced the role of “the embassy” and limited its scope for action. And the local right – in Bolivia as in Argentina and throughout Latin America – without the guidance, money, and media and legal resources that Washington manages, there is little it can do.

The strategic power plants on the right have a global project (compare, for example, the demonstrations and slogans of the “anti-quarantine” and “anti-infection” in the most diverse countries) and work to prevent the stabilization of progressive governments or the inauguration of one of that political sign. Of course the story is capricious and friend of giving surprises. Who would dare to discard the idea that in that heart of South America that is Bolivia, the sun has just risen whose rays will illuminate the next elections in Chile, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela and the presidential elections in Ecuador, in February 2021? Perhaps, without realizing it, we are witnessing a historical turn unthinkable until a few weeks ago.

https://orinocotribune.com/bolivia-the- ... -the-left/

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Decisive Victory of MAS in Bolivia: A Blow to Anti-Indigenous and Anti-Socialist Coups in the Americas
October 21, 2020
By William Camacaro – Oct 19, 2020

The decisive electoral victory of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) in Bolivia may be a point of inflection on the continent that advances the construction of a new South American socialist bloc.

After having been removed from power by a military coup with fascist, anti-Indigenous, and neoliberal elements a year ago, ex-president Evo Morales, with his allies, presidential candidate Luis Arce and vice-presidential candidate David Choquehuanca, declared victory in the elections that came to a close on the evening of October 18. According to an exit poll, Arce, who served as Minister of Finance in the Morales administration, was leading in the presidential contest with 52.4 percent of the vote and ex-president Carlos Mesa came in second place with 31.5 percent. The right wing candidate Luis Camacho, allied with the de facto president Jeanine Añez, follows in a distant third place, with only 14.1 percent of the vote. Añez and Mesa have both recognized the outcome of the election[1].

Once the MAS victory is officially ratified in Bolivia in the next few days, it will represent a huge blow to the international right. It will be a political defeat for other conservative leaders in the region, among them Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil and Iván Duque in Colombia, both of whom supported the dictatorial regime of Jeanine Añez. Without a doubt, the MAS triumph provides oxygen for the Bolivarian revolution which in this moment is besieged by illegal United States sanctions, an economic war, and the possibility of military aggression. At the same time, it offers breathing room for Cuba and Nicaragua, countries that are also harassed by illegal United States measures.

A MAS win in Bolivia can also nudge Argentina towards the left without ambiguities. The government of Alberto Fernández now will not be so quick to maintain tepid positions in the international arena as it did a few days ago when it allied itself with the countries of the right wing Lima Group which continues to disparage Venezuela within the halls of the United Nations. The success of the MAS could inspire the social forces that have organized around the plebiscite in Chile that seeks to reform the Pinochet-era Constitution. And it fortifies the electoral option of Ecuador’s presidential candidate Andrés Arauz against the neoliberalism of the formerly leftist politician, Lenín Moreno. A victory of this magnitude will make life difficult for the conservative and pro-militarist government of Colombia and gives more energy to the candidacy of Gustavo Petro in the next elections.

This new scenario shows that the United States is no longer the great liberal nation of the world. The independence of Spanish South America was due, in great part, to the fact that Spain was invaded by Napoleanic forces. Spain found itself fighting for its own survival against Napoleon at the very moment that the war for independence was developing in South America. In a similar process, the United States will begin a complicated period from the economic, social, health, and political points of view and in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis after the coming presidential elections.

The cost to the country since the arrival of Donald Trump to the Presidency has been enormous. After the US election the nation will have to implement a series of damage control measures and repair multiple wounds at the national and international levels. This process could take some years at a moment when China has emerged as the preeminent economy in the world. We are entering a new period, another era, in which, without a doubt, one can observe push back against the ex-hegemonic power, especially from social mobilizations in Latin America by groups that have been historically excluded.

In Bolivia there has been a historic popular victory in which the citizens of a poor nation have succeeded, by means of an electoral process, to overcome a military dictatorship backed by the United States. They have defeated the military forces that supported a coup d’etat, the big national and international corporations that were preparing to strip the country once again of the public character of its energy and mineral resources. It is really an impressive triumph, given the difficult conditions within which the MAS and their candidates had to conduct their electoral campaign: Illegal persecutions, fake lawsuits, arrests, political repression, and violent attacks.

This election in Bolivia will have ramifications and consequences across the continent at a time when the United States shows signs that it has entered a process of decline. The Bolivarian bloc continues to survive despite blockades, economic sanctions, military threats, media wars, and all of the hunger and suffering of millions of Latin Americans provoked by the illegal sanctions of the United States. Indigenous Bolivians have given, this 18 of October, an enormous example of dignity, sovereignty, and independence.

https://orinocotribune.com/decisive-vic ... -americas/
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Re: Bolivia

Post by blindpig » Sat Oct 24, 2020 1:36 pm

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Bolivia Election 2020 – A Socialist and Indigenous People’s Victory
October 23, 2020
By Nino Pagliccia – Oct 21, 2020

Last October 18 in a widely publicised election Bolivia chose its new president under a socialist banner. Luis Arce of the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) – Evo Morales’s party – received more than 52% of the votes. He is the president-elect of Bolivia.

De facto ruler Jeanine Añez, and rival candidate Carlos Mesa have conceded. Several governments, including the Venezuelan and the Nicaraguan governments, have congratulated Arce. OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro also acknowledged Arce’s victory. Almagro’s OAS observers of the 2019 election have been held responsible for “dishonest, biased, and unprofessional conduct” by falsely calling a fraud that triggered a series of events leading to the military coup last November. For the sake of a wide perspective we need to mention that Canada – at the head of the so-called Lima Group – has been part of that group of election observers and is considered to be complicit in the Bolivian coup. At the time of writing Ottawa has kept an intriguing silence about the recent election results despite the public challenge to do otherwise.

In a recent article Andrew Korybko provided some early observations on the significance of the electoral victory of Luis Arce. Some observations can be expanded on. For example, the notion of free and fair elections is accurate by and large. No major incidents were reported. However, the election has had a wide international visibility – “many observers” were watching – and that possibly prevented a major fraud under the “eyes” of the world.

Further, the coup regime may have hoped for their success by instilling fear in voters and hoping for a low turn out at the polls (despite the fact that voting is obligatory in Bolivia) with a large display of the army on the streets of La Paz, contrary to the law establishing that the army should remain in their barracks on election day. If the ruling regime intended to prevent a “civil war” that was the wrong approach. The heavy military show of force failed in the face of a determined population ready to be heard electorally and confident of their majority.

The de facto Interior Minister Arturo Murillo, who masterminded the heavy-handed military presence and carried out major serious violent repression of the indigenous population since the beginning of the coup regime last November, has just been dismissed by Jeanine Añez. Little is known about his temporary replacement and the intention of this government shuffle just before the end of her “mandate”.

Korybko is correct saying that “Bolivia should brace itself for another counterrevolution.” But it is not accurate that “the US’ response is uncertain since this is uncharted territory.” During the 11 months the Jeanine Añez regime has pushed through neoliberal privatisation of natural resources and state-owned businesses, borrowed from organisations like the International Monetary Fund and fully aligned her country’s foreign policy with U.S. foreign policy.

The Bolivian domestic corporate sector may in fact be unhappy with the election results and therefore be prone to a counterrevolution. But so is Washington that has a long history of dominating Latin America. Morales has been reported saying that Washington “does not forgive us that we recovered the natural resources, nationalised gas, started the industrialisation of lithium as a State, closed the U.S. military base and expelled the DEA”.

What we don’t know how soon the U.S.-supported counterrevolution will begin.

On the other hand, we can almost predict with certainty that a new hybrid war will resume in due time, and Bolivia will join Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba as the recipient of U.S. fixation against socialist policies. We need to be alert about any of a series of clues.

When will we start seeing street violence being staged in Bolivia that corporate media will report as the action of a “repressive” government?

When will we start seeing calls to the Bolivian military for mutiny? The lack of loyal military may well be the weakest point in Arce’s government.

When will the first U.S. sanctions against Bolivia be issued? On what ground?

When will we start hearing accusations of drug trafficking in Bolivia? Coca production has already been an issue for the U.S.

When will we start seeing foreign-induced inflation in Bolivia?

When will we start seeing food and medicine shortages in Bolivia?

When will we start seeing fake accounts on social media demonising the legitimate government of Luis Arce?

Our wish of course is that we would never see any of those actions of war happening. Our wish is that no interference whatsoever would take place in Bolivia and that the rightwing forces would value democracy over violence. But this should not only be a wish. This is a right to sovereignty. This is a prerogative that demands all other countries to abide to the UN and OAS Charters as well as other international laws.

The Bolivian government under Evo Morales has shown during 14 years a solid administration with economic and social progress, but also with abidance to peace and democracy. President-elect Luis Arce has already announced that his first measure will be anti-hunger bonds for the poor.

Finally, in addition to a socialist victory, we cannot ignore that this is an indigenous victory. Bolivia has a large indigenous population but the number is not the main factor. This sector of the population has regained a deep socialist consciousness that has its historic roots in more than 500 years of colonisation and has been revitalised during the 14 years of the first indigenous government that restored the long-lost sense of pride and dignity in the Plurinational nation.

https://orinocotribune.com/bolivia-elec ... s-victory/

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Landslide Victory for MAS: Luis Arce’s Margin of Victory Grows to 26 Points as Vote Count Completed
October 23, 2020

The gap between MAS’ Luis Arce and right-wing Citizen Community Party (CC) candidate Carlos Mesa rose to 26 points.

The Bolivian Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) today completed 100% of the electoral count, which ratified the victory of Luis Arce’s Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) with over 55 percent of the votes in favor.

The MAS gained a total greater than 26 points over the right-wing Citizen Community Party (CC) led by Carlos Mesa. CC received 29% of votes, while Luis Camacho’s Creemos party came in third place with 13% of the vote, followed by Front for Victory, with 1.55%, and Pan-Bol with 0.55%.

The last departments to conclude the counting were Santa Cruz and La Paz.


This Friday, at 18h00 local time, the TSE will announce the final results of Sunday’s elections.

Over seven million people cast their votes in the elections, in which only five candidates ran for president.

The elections were postponed twice this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://orinocotribune.com/landslide-vi ... completed/
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Re: Bolivia

Post by blindpig » Fri Nov 06, 2020 2:31 pm

Bolivia’s President-Elect Luis Arce Attacked With Dynamite

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Movement Towards Socialism's headquarters in La Paz, Bolivia, Nov. 5, 2020. | Photo: MAS

Published 6 November 2020

The Socialist leader was attacked while he was at a meeting in La Paz city. There is no report of injuries.

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.

The authorities of the coup-born regime led by Jeanine Añez have not commented on what happened so far.

“We have not seen any statement on the subject from Interior Minister Arturo Murillo. We feel that we are totally unprotected. No one provides us with the security guarantees that our authority requires,” Michel said during a television interview.

The incident took place on the day in which some groups of the Bolivian far-right right began a strike in Santa Cruz in rejection of the result of the presidential elections held on Oct. 18.


In previous days, other incidents of violence and aggression against the social and union organizations that support the Socialist party were also registered. As a result of one of those attacks, mining leader Orlando Gutierrez died on October 28.

Michel strongly rejected the declarations of right-wing politicians who try to confuse the Bolivian citizens by insinuating that the Socialists would be arming popular militias.

"The government of Luis Arce will not allow any irregular armed group in Bolivia or the use of weapons," the MAS spokesperson stressed, as local outlet EJU reported.

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

The socialists should most definitely arm a people's militia, haven't they learned?
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Re: Bolivia

Post by blindpig » Sat Nov 07, 2020 2:34 pm

Bolivia’s Pititas Fail to Mobilize Support for Coup

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Right-wing groups attempt to provoke MAS supporters in Cochabamba and destabilize the country. | Photo: Twitter / Los Tiempos via @evoespueblo

Published 6 November 2020 (11 hours 32 minutes ago)

The area surrounding Plaza Murillo has been barricaded ahead of Sunday's inauguration.


With two days until the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) governs Bolivia once again, some sectors are vowing to block the inauguration.

Road blockades continue around Santa Cruz and in the middle to upper-class areas of Cochabamba, at times turning aggressive or even violent, as right-wing groups demand an audit of the October 18 election while asking the coup administration to retain power or turn it over to the military.

Workers in several neighborhoods have responded by lifting barricades where they see them, or in other cases, directly confronting the protesters to get to work.

In La Paz, anti-MAS protests have been much smaller, paling in comparison to the pro-coup demonstrations one year ago. Blockades in La Paz have failed to be erected, and gatherings have typically brought together groups of just a few dozen people, often to Plaza Abaroa, across from the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE), in the middle-class area of Sopocachi.

On Thursday, the MAS denounced an attack against the MAS campaign house in La Paz with dynamite as President-elect Luis Arce held a meeting inside. No injuries reported, but the MAS has accused outgoing authorities of failing to provide adequate security for President-elect Luis Arce, as security remains under the control of the coup administration.

While major Bolivian TV news networks have provided an unlimited platform for anti-MAS activists of the right, it seems efforts to repeat the November 2019 coup have failed to garner support.

By Friday, all of Plaza Murillo, the square by which several government buildings and the palace are accessed, was barricaded and policed. The Plaza will host the inaugural events, including a civic parade following the swearing in ceremony.

Official delegations are expected to arrive in La Paz on Saturday and during the early morning hours on Sunday from Iran, Paraguay, Venezuela, Uruguay, Argentina, Spain, Colombia, Panama, the United States, Chile, and Peru.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/bol ... -0017.html

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Bolivia: Workers Union Commits To Safeguard Arce's Swear-in Event

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COB Secretary Juan Carlos Huarachi denounces political persecution, Bolivia, Oct. 29, 2020. | Photo: Twitter/ @RKMNoticias

Published 6 November 2020

For the past several weeks, right-wing organizations have been encouraging violent actions to create chaos and hinder the presidential change of command.


Bolivia's Central Workers Union (COB) declared a "state of emergency" in order to secure the swear-in ceremony of President-elect Luis Arce to take place on November 8.

The announcement comes amid protests by some right-wing sectors that reject the election results and just one day after the dynamite attack at the La Paz headquarters of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS), where Arce was holding a meeting.

Rejecting the strike promoted by civic groups in the Santa Cruz Department, the COB has called on all social organizations, confederations, and federations to attend the swear-in ceremony which will take place in the Murillo Square on Sunday.

"Attending organizations should designate comrades who can also guard the surroundings of the Murillo Square, taking into account that there are separatist, renegade, and right-wing groups which are carrying out vandalism, strikes, and blockades," a COB press release noted.

In recent weeks, Bolivian right-wing organizations have been trying to create chaos and requesting an audit of the results of the elections in which the MAS candidates won with more than 55.18 percent of the votes, while the Citizen Community candidate Carlos Mesa only managed 28.89 percent of votes.

Bolivians voted almost a year after the coup promoted by right-wing sectors in the country with the support of the United States and the Organization of American States (OAS) against Former President Evo Morales (2006-2019).

On Friday, Luis Arce and David Choquehuanca took part in an indigenous ceremony in Tiwanaku, which is one of the largest Pre-Columbian archaeological sites in South America. Similar to what happened when Evo Morales took office in 2006, the MAS leaders vowed to govern for the peace and prosperity of the Bolivian people.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Bol ... -0009.html
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Re: Bolivia

Post by blindpig » Wed Nov 11, 2020 1:52 pm

Evo Morales: Lithium Was the Reason for the Coup in Bolivia

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The former Bolivian president and leader of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS), Evo Morales, today waves the Whipala flag of the native peoples during an event in his hometown, The town of Orinoca, part of the route of his caravan after entering yesterday from Argentina, in the department of Oruro (Bolivia). | Photo: EFE

Published 10 November 2020 (16 hours 26 minutes ago)

The former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, assures that the large deposits of lithium in the Andean country and his government's attempt to industrialize the reserves were why the coup d'état against him in 2019 occurred.

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales spoke about his government's project to industrialize the nation's lithium reserves during a press conference in Uyuni. Morales underlined that this initiative was suspended during the 11 months of the de facto government of Jeanine Áñez; nevertheless, he has indicated that newly elected president, Luis Arce, will now take it up again.

After considering that throughout history, humanity has always struggled to control natural resources, the indigenous leader stated that he had come to realize that "the West, that is, the industrialized countries, only want us Latin Americans to provide them with their raw material."

Along this line, he brought up a message published in social networks by Tesla's executive director, Elon Musk, in which he said, in an apparent ironic tone, that they would launch a coup wherever they wanted, in response to a user who reproached him for the U.S. has carried out a "coup d'état" in Bolivia to keep his lithium.


"Intense was the joy in #Uyuni, land of lithium, where the villagers came out to welcome us and show their appreciation,
but above all, the strength to always keep alive the hope for a tomorrow. Thank you, Uyunenses and Uyenensas!"


The former Bolivian president Evo Morales explains that the coup d'état against him was due to the process of industrialization of lithium that he was trying to carry out.

"Tesla's owner claims to have financed the coup d'état, only because of the lithium. In the United States, there is great concern about lithium, and this coup is about lithium. They don't want us to get the added value to lithium as a state; they always want our natural resources to be in the hands of transnationals," Morales emphasized.

The former Bolivian leader has said he remains convinced that "two or three countries will define the price of lithium for the world in the future" and has encouraged the rest of the Latin American nations to maintain their sovereignty over natural resources.

Morales, who resigned on November 10, 2019, after a coup d'état against him by the opposition, which did not recognize his re-election in the 2019 presidential elections, has offered this conference on the second day of his return tour to Bolivia. The journey brings him back from Argentina for the first time after a year in exile. He started from the south and is traveling toward the Andean nation's center, with different stops with social events and rallies in those regions of the country where he has more support.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Mor ... -0014.html

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Thousands of People Continue To Cheer Evo's Return To Bolivia
Representatives from the mining and agrarian sectors, indigenous communities, and thousands of young people gathered at the border to greet the caravan.

The caravan led by Bolivia's former President Evo Morales arrived in his hometown of Orinoca on Tuesday where he was received by cheers and demonstrations of support from rural communities.

Former president Evo entered Bolivian territory on Monday morning through the La Quiaca-Villazon border crossing, where Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez bade him farewell.

Representatives from the mining and agrarian sectors, Indigenous communities, and thousands of young people gathered at the border to greet the caravan. Evo's return to Bolivia puts an end to a year of exile after the coup promoted by Bolivian right-wing groups and the government of the United States last year.

The first day of celebration lasted until midnight when the former President arrived in the city of Uyuni, in the department of Potosi. In an emotional speech, Evo thanked the attendees for their support and especially Atocha's mining center.

Meanwhile, in the community of Sevaruyo in the Department of Oruro, hundreds of people waited for the caravan with food and water on Tuesday while singing "Viva Evo" and "Jallalla Bolivia."

Meetings and celebration events are scheduled to continue on the day, before continuing the trip on Wednesday to the Chimore Airport, in Chapare province.

Chimore, located in Cochabamba Department, is one of the bastions for Movement Towards Socialism (MAS), and it was the place where Morales undertook his first political activities by defending unions' rights.

On November 11, Evo is scheduled to arrive in Chimore to take a plane to the capital La Paz.

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https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Tho ... -0009.html
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