skinster wrote:The original website you shared reported it slightly differently and had no sources. I looked at the BBC website and found nothing. What's interesting is that it isn't reported in the English BBC since it would probably ease the pain of all those in the West who are upset the fascists lost the power they stole.
No worries, I also looked for it in the English site and didn't find it. The Spanish site's interview is quite explicit about him aiming for independence from Evo Morales, because they pressed him on the matter.
skinster wrote:Either way, it doesn't matter if Morales isn't in government any more, MaS are. Some people tend to get stuck with the idea that X leader = X country and that's usually due to regime-change propaganda, like how Maduro = Venezuela. Even if Maduro were to step down and another within his party replace him, that wouldn't matter either, because the vast majority of el pueblo would be leading anyway. Did you celebrate this victory over fascism, wat0n?
I take neither side.
Evo Morales
did try to perpetuate himself in power, whether you like it or not. He
did refuse to listen to a referendum he called himself to allow himself run for a third election, and vacated it after using MAS' control over the Bolivian judiciary (itself enabled by the Bolivian Constitution he played a pivotal role drafting) to vacate parts of the Constitution. Let's not even talk about the corruption of the last years of his last tenure, there were a few scandals regarding the businesses between the Bolivian Government and some state-owned Chinese corporations that were not well regarded among the Bolivian population, these two things alienated the very same core non-indigenous support that helped Evo Morales govern - leaving him only with identity politics to base his government on. I know this because some Bolivian friends told me so. As such, I'm not surprised he was kicked out last year (and it was a coup, let's state things as they are, but it was a coup against a corrupted party that had tramped on the country's Constitution - which it had itself written for the most part - once the Constitution began to work against its interests).
On the other hand, as I mentioned earlier, Evo Morales and MAS
do have something going for them: They were one of the most stable governments in Bolivia, ever, and if they will make sure Evo Morales is kept out for a while then it will be the best for Bolivian democracy. I also think the fact that the opposition to Morales seems to be honest about the election results and will let MAS begin its term is a good thing. Arce seems to be more moderate than Evo Morales (and a lot less willing to engage in experiments like the Chavistas are) so I won't be surprised if they are not as to the left as under Evo Morales.
So, while I hardly agree with most of MAS' platform, I also think Bolivia is a somewhat special case given the history of the country and so far they seem to be the political party best suited to at least give it some sort of stable government to begin with, it may not be good but a mediocre stable government is better than an unstable and dysfunctional one. I also think that's why MAS won, and I think it's a good development they voted for the
party rather than the
person as they did when Evo Morales was elected for the first time.