Bolivia

Morales' mandate on the line

Article published on the 2008-08-10 Latest update 2008-08-11 09:41 TU

An indigenous Morales supporter.
(Photo: Reuters)

Bolivian voters are participating in a referendum on Sunday that will decide whether President Evo Morales and eight of the country’s nine governors should stay in office.

The plebiscite was called by Morales after four rebel provinces in the country’s gas-rich east voted in independent referendums for more autonomy from the central government.

The prosperous populations of these states resent the revenue-sharing reforms brought in by Morales since his election in 2005. He sought to force the state to share their wealth with Bolivia’s indigenous majority which is concentrated in the impoverished western states.

A stalemate has emerged between the rebel governors and Morales, who each question the other’s authority to rule.

Morales’s authority has been eroded by these governors to the point where he cannot even visit five states in his own country, says James Petras, professor at Binghampton University in New York State, USA.

“The right-wing, the big agro-business and mining groups don’t want to share their wealth with Evo’s programs,” Petras told RFI.

But it isn’t clear that the referendum will change anything, as several governors have said that they will not respect the result.

Pre-election polls suggest that Morales will safely keep his post, thanks to massive support in the indigenous communities. The governors are also expected to keep their jobs, due to local support in their largely conservative states.

Regional allies of Morales, including Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, voiced their support for the Bolivian president ahead of the referendum.

But Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose country is reliant on Bolivian gas, only issued a statement saying that he hoped the vote would lead to “national reconciliation.”