Rightwing coup or popular uprising?

[Judi Lynn]

Khalid Bhatti
November 15, 2019

Rightwing coup or popular uprising?
Socialist Bolivian president Evo Morales has been forced to resign. A well-prepared rightwing coup removed him from power. The military intervened after 18 days of protests and asked the president to resign.


Evo Morales declared his ouster from power as a civic coup organised by his rightwing opposition. The first indigenous president has been forced to resign and flee from the country. The leftwing Mexican government has provided him political asylum.

In his resignation speech, Morales said that “my sin is to be indigenous, trade unionist and coca grower”. Millions supported and loved him as a leader of indigenous and poor people but US imperialism and the Bolivian elite hated him for his pro-people and anti-imperialist policies.

He fled the country after violent attacks on his house, his family members and party leaders by violent opposition protesters. Some houses of his party leaders were burnt down. The police refused to provide protection to him and his party leaders.

The Bolivian rightwing opposition is trying to give the impression that president Morales was brought down by a popular uprising, not the military -- even though opposition leaders have admitted that the troops did not take to the streets during the unrest. The fact is that without the support of the army, the opposition was not in a position to oust him.

The rightwing calls it a victory of the people for democracy but the left across the globe calls it a coup against democracy and the working people of Bolivia.

It is not yet an outright military coup as happened in a number of countries in Latin America since the 1960s to topple left-leaning governments. It is a well-documented fact that most of those military coups were organised with the practical help of the CIA to serve the interests of American imperialism.

More:
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/568942-rightwing-coup-or-popular-uprising