MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Morales launches his presidential campaign for a fourth five-year term
In the next “10 years, maybe 15 years, maximum 20 years, Bolivia will be an economic power,” Morales promised in his speech Bolivian President Evo Morales launched this weekend his campaign for a fourth term, rejecting opposition allegations that he leads a corrupt and dictatorial government. Morales, 59, is Bolivia's first indigenous president and is aiming to be reelected in October.
Bolivia's 2009 constitution, promulgated by Morales himself, limits a president to two consecutive terms of office. A 2016 referendum saw Morales defeated in his bid to secure public support to remove term limits. But his government rejected the result while the constitutional court, filled with Morales loyalists, ruled it was his human right to seek reelection.
Before a massive rally of more than one million people, the leftist leader asked for ”five more years (of leadership) to guarantee this liberation for life.“ In the next ”10 years, maybe 15 years, maximum 20 years, Bolivia will be an economic power,“ Morales promised in his speech delivered on the airport runway in Chimore.
Bolivia, which was among Latin America's poorest countries for decades, is enjoying relative economic security under Morales on the back of exports of natural gas to Brazil and Argentina, and other raw materials such as lithium to other countries. Yet 13 continuous years of Morales rule have been overshadowed by criticism for alleged corruption and heavy public spending.
Right-wing presidential candidate Oscar Ortiz recently listed 94 decrees signed by Morales and 13 laws passed by Congress that allow for direct contracting of public works, without bidding. Ortiz said the relaxed regulations resulted in projects possibly in excess of US$1 billion.
While Morales has not been caught up in any corruption personally, he has been widely criticized for buying a new presidential jet and building a lavish presidential office building.
”Never, ever have we stolen anything. We have not come here to rob anyone, but to serve the people,” Morales said.
Five months before the October election, the opposition is still divided into eight candidates and none has announced a specific plan.
President Evo Morales is part of an alliance of Latin leftist leaders including those in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
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Read all commentsNothing new in the criticism aimed to chief of state who works to improve the conditions of their country's population at large instead of benefiting minorities.
May 21st, 2019 - 03:38 am 0“Bolivia, which was among Latin America's poorest countries for decades, is enjoying relative economic security under Morales...”
Good! But what Morales did to achieve this?
Well. Morales has done it “on the back of exports of natural gas to Brazil and Argentina, and other raw materials such as lithium to other countries.”
Of course, I knew it. It's not Morales, it's the gas and the lithium. They said the same for Nestor Kirchner, who presided over unprecedented years of growth: “It's the soy bean high prices.”
And then, the real rub: “Yet 13 continuous years of Morales rule have been overshadowed by criticism for alleged corruption and heavy public spending.”
“Alleged corruption.” Doesn't sound a bit like allegations against Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in Argentina, where her name is almost invariably accompanied by the “c” word and has been for years without a single conviction?
Of, and they are “leftist” (a definitive disqualifier -- only rightists are naturally fit to govern Latin America.
And, as soon as they are able to clutch the power, rightists make any past corruption look like a children's game, just like Macri has done in Argentina.
No matter. Pepperland always comes back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRnAcVLBIyY&list=PLGbj4arICF8RCD3Ad6tXE62ARNvVJaKJE
When CFK decided to stand for Vice-President instead of President, you said:
May 21st, 2019 - 03:59 pm 0“This confirms what Cristina has said before: she is there to serve the people in the best possible way and not looking for positions of power.”
If Morales is just there to serve the country, why did he not obey the constitution and let someone else from his party stand instead? Most especially after losing the referendum. Probably because he IS looking for positions of power...?
“Macri's vaults full of cash are 30 times bigger than the Kirchners”! And in only 4 years, not twelve.
May 24th, 2019 - 05:32 am 0OK, but how in thee heck does somebody just skip over this sentence in the article.
“Bolivia's 2009 constitution, promulgated by Morales himself, limits a president to two consecutive terms of office.”
But Evo running for a fourth term seems to have been judicially justified.
Wiki/Evo Morales/Third presidential term: 2014–present:
“In February 2016, a referendum was held on the question of whether Morales should be allowed to run for a fourth term; he narrowly lost.”
“In December 2017, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice of Bolivia ruled that—in contrast to the constitution—all public offices would have no term limits, blaming American imperialism for the nullification of the referendum's decision, thus allowing Morales to run for a fourth term.”
So, American interference nullified the referendum, and therefore, all term limits.
Likely there was a good justification for ignoring the Morales backed 2009 constitution too. Which would just mean they based their decision on another legal foundation of equal standing to their constitution. (Same as tissue paper in Latin America)
It is the vote that sets a politician's “term limit”, and a conservative in Bolivia is not going to beat Morales.
The economic numbers during Evo and Evoism, however, must impress.
This is a World Bank link that shows GDP/capita/year in Bolivia (up to 2017).
This graph shows it in constant 2010 US dollars.
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.KD?locations=BO
The increase might somehow be regardless of Evoism, but at a minimum, his administration didn't torpedo that growth.
knoema.com/atlas/Bolivia/GDP-per-capita
Date $US Change, %
2018 3,682 7.10 %
2017 3,438 9.88 %
2016 3,129 1.97 %
2015 3,068 -1.36 %
2014 3,111 7.77 %
2013 2,886 10.79 %
2012 2,605 15.50 %
2011 2,256 18.95 %
2010 1,896 10.80 %
2009 1,711 0.94 %
2008 1,695 26.08 %
2007 1,345
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