Sacking Morales
Photograph of Bolivian President Evo Morales. Photo courtesy of the National Broadcasting Company.
In 2006, Juan Evo Morales was swept in as Bolivia's president. Since then, Mr Morales has led the reform movement in Bolivia and made multiple positive changes to his country.
According to The Economist, under Mr Morales's administration, Bolivia has seen petrol exports revenues rise, federal revenues redistributed to the poor, the share of the population living on less than 13.17 Bolivian boliviano ($1.90 USD) shrink by nearly two-thirds to six per cent, expansions of rights for indigenous peoples, increases in the number of women serving in the legislature, and significantly improved national infrastructure.
Mr Morales was the first indigenous Bolivian president in a country with over 60 per cent indigenous population, as reported by the Financial Times.
Mr Morales led a new liberal movement in Latin America, distinctly different from the dangerous Peronist and Chavismo movements growing in other South American countries. Despite the substantial change he has made to his country, it is time for him to step aside.
In 2016, the Morales administration failed in a referendum to allow for him to run for reelection, previously illegal under the Bolivian constitution. Despite the plebiscite failing with 51.3 per cent of the vote, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice scrapped all electoral term-limits, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.
On 20 Oct., Bolivia held a Presidential election, in which Mr Morales is running for another term in office. No candidate reached a 50 per cent majority, usually meaning there would be a second runoff election. However, Mr Morales seems to have won outright, due to an obscure rule that allows for a victory if the candidate has at least 40 per cent of the vote and a 10 point lead over the next candidate.
Soon after polls closed, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal released early results of the election, saying that a runoff election would be likely due to Mr Morales having just less than a 10 per cent lead, a huge victory for the opposition. However, soon after that result was released, the Tribunal stopped all releases for 24 hours, prompting the Organisation of American States, an international group monitoring the election, to voice their concern.
After the 24 hour pause, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal released another count, with Mr Morales's 10 per cent lead over Carlos Mesa, the leading opposition candidate and centrist former president, as reported by the British Broadcasting Corporation.
This unaccounted for disruption, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation, has wholly eroded the confidence in electoral authorities and their independence from Mr Morales. Many observers, including top US diplomat Michael G Kozak, suspect that Mr Morales intervened at the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, flouting electoral sovereignty.
As reported by Al Jazeera, the opposition has rejected Mr Morales's victory, accusing him of undermining the democratic process.
Mr Morales's campaign is plagued with other accusations of fraud and undemocratic practices. Police fired tear gas at protestors in the Bolivian capital of La Paz. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets against the Morales administration, who has lost the lustre that they once enjoyed.
Many Bolivians fear rumours that, after this election, Mr Morales intends to name himself 'President For Life', according to The Economist. Mr Morales sees himself as indispensable to the Bolivian government. He has worried many voters about possible autocratic tendencies, as was reflected in the comparably low vote share in the 20 Oct. election.
After the result was announced, Mr Morales accused primary opposition candidate Carlos Mesa, of a 'right-wing coup' against him, also alleging it had 'international support', as reported by the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Although he did not directly implicate the United States in the plot, many observers suspected that he was referring to the nation, as he frequently rails against 'American imperialism'.
This statement, made with little evidence, seems to have been made in an effort to both discredit the opposition and international election observers who reported fraud by the Morales administration in the election.
Bolivia is a historically revolutionary nation. Just as Mr Morales was swept into office, he can be pushed out.
While Bolivians should certainly not attempt to remove him from office violently, the opposition parties in Congress, who are expected to eliminate Mr Morales's party's majority in the legislature, should work together to stifle Mr Morales's growing undemocratic actions.
Voter's concerns over Mr Morales's actions during the campaign, paired with worsening economic conditions, should allow the centrist opposition to rally popular support to both check the president's activities, and convince voters to back new candidates.
As reported by Reuters, fiscal debt is expected to rise to 8 per cent of national GDP, and petrol exports are slumping. These are both issues that will instil political uncertainty in Mr Morales, and allow for the opposition to gain ground.
The 'great reformer' of Bolivia seems to be reluctant to give up power, and he is acting more and more autocratic. It is time for the opposition to check his power.
Sources:
"Bolivia’s Evo Morales faces his toughest re-election battle yet." The Economist, The Economist Group, 17 Oct. 2019,
Schipani, Andres and Mander, Benedict. "Bolivia’s indigenous groups must preserve their identity." FT, Financial Times, 26 Oct. 2015,
https://www.ft.com/content/b7b723cc-50d2-11e5-b029-b9d50a74fd14
"Bolivia polls: Morales claims victory amid fraud claims." BBC News, British Broadcasting Corporation, 24 Oct. 2019,
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50166567
“Statement of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission in Bolivia.” OAS, Organization of American States, 21 Oct. 2019,
https://www.oas.org/en/media_center/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-085/19
"Bolivia: Count gives Morales win, but opposition rejects result." Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera Media Network, 24 Oct. 2019,
"Bolivia elections: Will Evo Morales get a fourth term in office?" BBC News, British Broadcasting Corporation, 20 Oct. 2019,
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50055725
Taj, Mitra. "Evo or not, Bolivia faces uncharted waters ahead." Reuters, Thomas Reuters Corporation, 19 Oct. 2019,