Bolivian President resigns, how will it be interpreted locally?

March 7, 2005

So, Bolivia’s President Carlos Mesa offers his resignation after the
leader of the coca growers and Congressman Evo Morales threatens to
block all roads unless oil taxes are raised. Mesa, who remains popular,
may have his resignation rejected by Congress. Essentially, Mesa does
not want to use force to stop either Morales or the peopel of El Alto,
where another crisis is brewing over the privatized water comapny.

Venezuela’s politicians are so far silent on the matter. If Mesa
resigns, will they call it a coup? A triumph for democracy?
Participatory democracy? The imposition of popular will? Whatever
they say, I am sure that they will be in favor of Mesa’s resignation or
maybe they will suprise us alll by saying that thye will not interfere
with the affairs of another country, but I doubt it.

But that is exactly what Chavez has done in the past. Only a couple of
weeks ago, Chavez had the same Evo Morales in his Sunday radio program,
Chavez said that there should be a Constituent Assembly in Bolivia, but
the “oligarchs” opposed it, in a clear violation of the same soverignty
that he defends daily in Venezuela. There have always been rumors thta
Chavez provides funding for Morales, but there has been no proof that
this the case.

Excellent link with all the details here in Publiuspundit

This entry was posted on March 7, 2005 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Venezuela.

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