|
POLITICS IN BOLIVIAPolitics in Bolivia are very, very complicated. There are more than 20 active parties at any given time, many of which are militant, others which are severely idealist, representing a great variety of ideologies including different definitions of democracy, communism, capitalism, fascism, and others in between.The military has been very involved in Bolivia throughout its entire history, having been used by various parties to stage coups, keep public order, and squelch members of the opposition. With the existence of so many different parties of varying ideologies, a single party rarely holds a majority position in the public eye, or during elections.
Bolivia’s constitution calls for a clear majority vote for members of any one party to be elected to the positions of president and vice-president. However, if no party obtains a clear majority vote, Congress is to select and appoint a president from amongst the highest-ranking candidates. Because of this, many parties form “coalitions”. And since members of Congress are also representatives of specific parties, they typically select as president the candidate who heads the coalition in which their party is involved. Thus, although public elections are held, many presidents in Bolivia are ultimately elected by Congress. Traditionally Bolivia’s minority elite class has dominated politics (and the economy) which has resulted in a deep feeling of injustice by the country’s native and indigenous people, most of whom live in poverty, have little access to education and healthcare, and scarcely benefit from any revenues the economy provides - although they comprise nearly two-thirds of the population. The government has also been rife with corruption because the country’s economy has depended so highly upon relationships and players, most of whom also own the majority of the country’s major businesses and industry. Although constitutionally all parties must be granted access to an equal amount of government funds for campaign publicity and candidatures during election periods, candidates may also use donated funds, party-raised funds and their own funds. Click here for more information on how Bolivian politics have shaped the country’s history and economy. Find out what it's really like to live in Bolivia during a campaign season! Click here for some interesting trivia. Visit this section on voting rights and obligations, and the role of the electoral courts, judges, notaries, and juries.
Bolivians, especially young people are very politically involved. People are active in voicing their needs and views and frequently the turn-out at political rallies and other events numbers in the hundreds and even thousands. Slogans and music abound. In December 2006, a town meeting called a "cabildo" in Santa Cruz (city of 1.5 million inhabitants) made international headlines when over one MILLION people attended to voice their desire for autonomy from the central government. It came to be known as "El Cabildo del Millón". No apathy here. Take a look: A New Constitution for Bolivia2008 was a turbulent year in Bolivia. Tens of thousands of supporters of President Evo Morales marched several times throughout different parts of the country to force Congress to pass a law that would allow the president to call a national referendum so the country's entire population can vote on his proposed text for a new constitution. August - October were especially violent months during which time Morales' supporters and members of opposition parties clashed on various occasions.On October 21st, with nearly 20,000 people surrounding the congress building in La Paz, Congress members passed this law. The referendum is set to take place on January 25, 2009. Three of Bolivia's nine states (Beni, Santa Cruz and Chuquisaca) are set to protest this and their electoral courts have declared they will not allow this vote to take place. Even though agreements were reached on modifications to 120 articles in Morales' proposed text, which contains 411 articles, these states oppose it because the dialogue on modifications was not completed as Vice President García Linera called for a congressional vote to appease the thousands of protesters in La Paz, even though negotiations were ongoing. It will be very interesting to follow politics in Bolivia now. President Evo Morales has also called for national elections in December 2009, cutting his mandate off early (he's slated to be president through 2011) as he hopes to be re-elected for another 5-year term. OTHER POINTS OF POLITICAL INTEREST ON THIS SITE Nueva Constitución Política del Estado de Bolivia Estatutos Autonómicos de Santa Cruz BoliviaBella.com is not a political forum and does not promote nor endorse specific political views on this site. Any views shared by our readers through the various forum pages available on the site are absolutely the responsibility of their authors. We are providing this information because our readers have requested it repeatedly. BoliviaBella.com no es un foro político y no promueve ni endosa puntos de vista políticos específicos en este portal. Cualquier opinión compartida por nuestros lectores mediante los distintos foros disponibles en el portal son la absoluta responsabilidad de sus autores. Proveemos esta información debido a que nuestros lectores la han solicitado.            Custom Search
|
