MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Regional autonomy becomes Morales great challenge

Bolivian president Evo Morales proclaimed a three tier victory for his administration and political party in Sunday's election for the nomination of a Constitutional Assembly that will be tasked with drafting a new charter to ensure the re-foundation of Bolivia including its aboriginal population.

According to President Morales, the Movement Towards Socialism, MAS, garnered 70% of votes for the Constitutional Assembly, up from his 54% presidential victory of last December, thus ensuring him an "absolute consensus" in the assembly.

Finally in the referendum on regional autonomies, overall the administration's position contrary to such a move, managed 55% of the vote, which means victory in five of Bolivia's nine regions.

However the first indigenous president of Bolivia made it a point to underline that he will scrupulously respect the "Yes" vote in the other four regions adding that the future autonomies system must be addressed and defined by the Constitutional assembly.

"I would like to emphasize how grateful I am to the Bolivian people, to social movements, to all those who voted because normally a government after five months in office can be quite eroded, but on this occasion I have received an overwhelming support", said Morales.

Apparently Morales Mas party garnered more seats than originally forecasted, 134 out of 225, because "we reached agreements with allied parties and we shouldn't have many problems is adding other forces".

But to have a working majority Morales needs two thirds of the future Assembly seats which means he will have to look for alliances particularly if he wants to enshrine hydrocarbons and other natural resources as government owned assets in the future Constitution.

Furthermore the regional autonomy initiative which sponsors political and administrative autonomy, won by an ample majority in four of Bolivia's richest provinces, Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando and Tarija, where most of the oil and agriculture is concentrated, and lost in La Paz, Cochabamba, Sucre, Oruro and Chuquisaca.

In the Yes provinces, people took to the streets to celebrate.

This could spell trouble for the Morales administration since in Santa Cruz which has led the "autonomy" movement sometimes the word is exchanged for "independence", supported by a strong economy and in rejection of the never ending political feuds in the capital La Paz.

Besides Santa Cruz and the more dynamic Bolivian provinces embrace free trade and open economies which are tantamount to the Socialist oriented Morales administration.

"We're prepared to defend the sovereign decision of the Santa Cruz people", said the province Governor Ruben Costas.