Unity and economy, priorities of new local authorities in Bolivia

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Bolivia kicked off a new political period on Monday, May 3rd, with the inauguration of departmental and municipal authorities, who prioritized strengthening the fight against Covid-19, the development of their regions, and work for the unity of the Bolivian people.

The recent municipal and departmental elections marked the end of a complex electoral calendar, after the 2019 crisis that led to Evo Morales’ resignation as president and the pandemic that twice forced the deferral of elections.

The new authorities, many of them from opposition groups, will be faced with the challenge of coordinating projects with the government of President Luis Arce, from the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS), a party that, after regaining power following the departure of Morales, unsuccessfully focused on extending its grip to the rest of the country in the sub-national elections.

MAS was left with only 3 of the 9 governorships into which the country is divided and 2 of the 10 main cities, yet the ruling party expanded its presence to 70% of municipalities, 13 more than in the 2015 sub-nationals, after winning in 240 of the 336 Mayors’ offices in Bolivia.

CALL FOR UNITY

“We want to strip ourselves of political colors and start working. Unity and reconciliation will make us move forward as a city,” urged the new mayor of El Alto, Eva Copa.

The former MAS member and ex-president of the Senate called on her “MAS brothers, the 3 city councilors who can join the change, the transformation” of the city of El Alto, the second most populous in the country.

MAS, headed by Morales, expelled Copa from its ranks for her decision to run for the Jallalla party after her candidacy was rejected by the party’s leadership.

The new mayor of La Paz and ex-minister of the interim government, Iván Arias, said that “in spite of all the economic problems, in spite of all the holes” they have found, they are “here to patch them up and look ahead.”

The mayor of Cochabamba, opposition politician Manfred Reyes Villa, said that the “times of separation are over, today it is time to point to the future with unity.”

STOP PERSECUTION

One of the main opposition figures to MAS and Morales, Luis Fernando Camacho, assumed on Monday the governorship of Santa Cruz, Bolivia’s economic engine, calling on Arce’s government to stop the “persecution of those who do not think like him.”

In 2019, Camacho led several of the protests for which MAS considers him one of the main managers of the alleged “coup d’état” that resulted in Evo Morales’ resignation from the Presidency, and he is also linked to the proceedings against former interim president Jeanine Áñez, who is accused of alleged terrorism and sedition for the protests registered during the crisis that year.

“If he does not change, if the intimidation and persecution continues, if he continues hurting us with economic measures that suffocate us, the only thing left is to defend ourselves and you well know that we know how to do it and we do it very well,” said Camacho after taking office as governor.

COVID AND THE ECONOMY

The new authorities, both pro-government, opposition and ex-militants of MAS, agreed that improving the fight against Covid-19 should be the priority to boost the regions’ economies.

The governor of Oruro, Johnny Vedia, announced a cooperation with the central government on issues such as lithium and the installation of a zinc plant, as well as health issues.

During the day, former president Morales wished “success to the democratically elected mayors and governors of all Bolivia.”

“After recovering democracy, it is essential to prioritize the health issue in the face of the pandemic and to recover the economy, so we confirm the importance of a National Meeting,” Morales wrote on Twitter after attending the inauguration of Oruro Mayor Adhemar Wilcarani, the son of Esther Morales, the ex-president’s sister who died in 2020.

The new municipal and departmental authorities will hold office until 2026.