Bolivia's first Indian president vows deep reform

[Judi Lynn]

Bolivia's first Indian president vows deep reform
Sun Jan 22, 2006 7:43 PM ET

By Mary Milliken
LA PAZ, Bolivia (Reuters) - Leftist coca grower leader Evo Morales was sworn in on Sunday as the first indigenous president of Bolivia with ambitious plans to overhaul South America's poorest nation and reverse five centuries of discrimination against the Indian majority.

The latest in a string of leftists to come to power in the region in a backlash against U.S.-backed free-market policies, Morales won 54 percent of the vote on December 18, the biggest margin of victory since the return to democracy in 1982.

The Aymara Indian who herded llamas as a boy cried on Sunday as he donned the presidential sash and medal over his black wool jacket while 12 heads of state looked on.

"The 500 years of Indian resistance have not been in vain," Morales said in his inaugural speech in a nod to the 62 percent of Bolivians who consider themselves indigenous. "From 500 years of resistance we pass to another 500 years in power."
(snip/...)

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-01-23T004254Z_01_N21199115_RTRUKOC_0_US-BOLIVIA.xml&archived=False

[IndianaGreen]

1. "Don't turn to the right - we're watching," one banner read.

That should be the Democrats campaign slogan for 2008: No more right turns!

But it won't be!

[firefox]

2. Kind of like Mandela

A big mistake we make in this country is to think that intellect and the conclusions of reasoned learning are most important. South Africa told us with Mandela, and Bolivia tells us with Morales, that we should first filter our representatives by their heart/loyalty.

Morales knows the score and his indigenous people know his heart.

[IndianaGreen]

3. Mandela was called a terrorist by American politicians of both parties

The Religious Right aligned itself with the white South Africans. Jerry Falwell went so far as to refer to Archbishop Desmond Tutu as a "phony."

Today we hear the same people that called Mandela a terrorist, calling Chavez a threat, warning about a Morales victory in Bolivia (Rumsfeld traveled to neighboring Paraguay to threaten Bolivia).

[Clara T]

4. Thousands throng streets as Bolivian leader sheds tears but talks tough

Thousands throng streets as Bolivian leader sheds tears but talks tough at inauguration

Jonathan Rugman in La Paz and Dan Glaister
Monday January 23, 2006
The Guardian

Bolivia installed its first indigenous president yesterday, Evo Morales, who insisted he would stick by radical drugs and energy policies regardless of US consternation at another South American country turning to the left.

In a pre-inauguration interview, Mr Morales vowed that he would not destroy his country's rapidly expanding coca crop, and threatened to turn to China as a partner if western multinationals refused to cooperate with his plans to nationalise vast gas reserves. "We will fight the drugs traffickers, but there's going to be no coca eradication," said Mr Morales, an Aymara Indian who easily won December presidential elections. "Zero coca programmes haven't solved the drugs problem and they've hurt Bolivia."

His accession to power was celebrated this weekend. A spiritual ceremony at ancient pre-Inca ruins on Saturday gave way to the inauguration during which Mr Morales, 46, raised his fist in a salute, and wept as he was presented with the yellow, red and green presidential sash.

He asked the audience in the Palacio Quemado, seat of the government in La Paz, to observe a minute's silence in honour of the fallen heroes of the social movements, including Che Guevara."Glory to the martyrs of the liberation," he declared at the end of the minute, as shouts of "Evo, Evo" rang around the chamber where an emerging crop of leftwing leaders were in attendance, led by Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1692648,00.html

[mike_c]

5. a president of Bolivia who acknowledged Che as a hero....

I never thought that would happen during my lifetime. Viva Evo!

[wake.up.america]

6. Bolivia y los Estados Unidos.

"In a pre-inauguration interview, Mr Morales vowed that he would not destroy his country's rapidly expanding coca crop."

That will not go over con el Presidente del los Estados Unidos, who has no plans to increase foreign aid.




No invasion planned at present.

An intensive research of the country's natural resources is being conducted by the State Department.

[killbotfactory]

7. "The US state department says it is withholding judgement"

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[alarcojon]

8. More at the Yahoo story

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060123/ts_nm/bolivia_dc

"The 500 years of Indian resistance have not been in vain," Morales said in his inaugural speech in a nod to the 62 percent of Bolivians who consider themselves indigenous. "From 500 years of resistance we pass to another 500 years in power."

[Wilms]

9. Quite the snip. Thanks. n/t

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. Hasta la victoria siempre

:thumbsup:

[leftstreet]

11. Thanks for the link

Clara T, you always post the best news links.

[shugah]

12. Bolivia's Morales Proves `Pragmatic,' Limits Anti-U.S. Rhetoric

Bolivia's Morales Proves `Pragmatic,' Limits Anti-U.S. Rhetoric

Jan. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Bolivian President Evo Morales, a month after vowing to become America's ``worst nightmare,'' began his term promising to study proposed trade accords, protect private investment and help the U.S. fight drug traffickers.

Morales, 46, Bolivia's fifth president since 2002 and most popular since the country returned to democracy 24 years earlier, took the oath of office yesterday in La Paz, raising a clenched fist as tears streamed down his face. He said his plan to seize the nation's energy reserves from international oil companies will be studied by a constitutional assembly to be elected in July.

``He's proving to be more pragmatic than the blustering rhetoric of his campaign,'' Jeff Vogt, an economist at the Washington Office on Latin America, a Washington-based research group, said in an interview. ``Evo recognizes Bolivia needs investment to move forward.''

~snip~

Morales plans as one of his first acts as president to sign an agreement with state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA to help develop Bolivia's gas reserves, according to Venezuelan Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez. The accord would extend Chavez's influence in reshaping oil and gas alliances across Latin America. Chavez, 51, last week in Brazil applauded Morales's plans to ``nationalize'' the country's gas.

``Morales gets income and aid and cheap oil,'' by working with Chavez, Emma Campos, an analyst at London-based consulting firm Control Risk Group, said in an interview. ``Chavez gets another member in his defiant group toward U.S. policy.''

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=ab94kz5sugZ4&refer=top_world_news

[Judi Lynn]

13. BOLIVIA: A rejection of neoliberalism

BOLIVIA: A rejection of neoliberalism

Federico Fuentes

After 500 years of domination and colonialism, more than 50 years since the introduction of universal suffrage and five years of intense social struggle, the indigenous majority of Bolivia have, for the first time, elected one of their own as president — the coca grower leader and head of Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) Evo Morales.

Morales won 53.7% of the vote, making him the first president in decades to gain over 50% and not have to be ratified by a majority in parliament. This was a clear indication of the rejection of 20 years of neoliberal rule and the search for an alternative by the majority of South America’s poorest country.

The size of the vote, which surprised even Morales’ own party, is all the more remarkable given the intensity of the unanimous opposition of the mainstream press to Morales’ candidacy, and the evidence of fraud in some districts. In addition, more than 800,000 voters discovered on election day that they had been removed from the electoral roll, the majority within areas where MAS has strong support.
(snip/...)

http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2006/653/653p16.htm