For Bolivian protesters, new president is just a start
LA PAZ, Bolivia -- Segundina Flores was returning to her home in eastern Bolivia, jubilant and confident that the will of the nation's indigenous people had served to defeat the traditional power brokers in government.
''After weeks of protesting, we defeated the government; our struggle wasn't in vain," said Flores, waving a multicolored indigenous flag Friday in La Paz alongside thousands of Bolivian Indians who traveled hundreds of miles, some on foot, to raise their voices in the mountain capital.
Nearly a month of protests by Bolivia's indigenous, poor, and working class ended last week after the resignation of President Carlos Mesa and the selection late Thursday of Supreme Court leader Eduardo Rodriguez to assume Bolivia's highest office.
By law, the presidency was supposed to go to Senate President Hormando Vaca Diez. But protesters vehemently denounced Vaca Diez as part of the Mesa administration they so despised, so he stepped aside.
Still, Rodriguez's appointment represented just one victory for the protesters in their ongoing battle for social reforms, justice for the poor, and a share of the country's wealth.
''The fight isn't over," Flores said. ''We will return if necessary."
That's a promise Rodriguez can count on. The protesters say the new president must make good on his pledge to call elections within the next six months.
Rodriguez made clear shortly after his inauguration early Friday that he had no ambitions to complete Mesa's term, which expires in 2007.
''I am convinced that one of my duties, one of my responsibilities, will be to summon this electoral process in which civic representation will be changed and renewed," Rodriguez said in his inaugural speech, adding he was hopeful that lawmakers could go on ''to forge a fairer and more equitable democracy."
Bolivians are in sore need of a stable government: With Thursday's selection of Rodriguez, the country has had three presidents in the past 19 months.
Political commentator Jose Gramunt criticized the way the transition was carried out, seeing it as a short-term answer to a long-term problem of the government not adequately representing all Bolivians. Although many lawmakers hail from the far reaches of rural Bolivia, attending congressional sessions wearing traditional indigenous garb, they are far outnumbered by conservative, free-market adherents.
''It's a typical solution in Bolivia," said Gramunt, who writes for the newspaper La Razon, referring to the rapid succession of presidents. But from a purist's perspective of the will of Bolivians, Gramunt called Rodriguez's appointment ''the ultimate demonstration of democracy."
Bolivia's next presidential election, whenever it occurs, is likely to be contentious. Opposition leader Evo Morales, a favorite among many protesters, is expected take another shot at the presidency having lost a runoff vote in the Congress to President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada in 2002.
For some Bolivians, the indigenous leader Morales and his far-left politics are the answer. Although two-thirds of Bolivia's 9.1 million people consider themselves of indigenous descent, the vast majority of the nation's wealth is in the hands of those descended from Spaniards. Others, however, including analysts and even some members of Bolivia's political opposition, say Morales lacks the credentials to lead a nation so fractured along political and ethnic lines.
''We need a capable man and a very Bolivian leader," said Wifredo Arroyo, a technician in the air force. ''Not some one who thinks about [the political] right or left, but about all Bolivians."
But political analyst Alvaro Garcia says that kind of candidate simply doesn't exist in Bolivia. ''What the country needs is a businessman with an indigenous program or an indigenous man with an agenda for doing business," Garcia said.
In addition to elections, protesters focused on Bolivia's biggest business and most controversial issue: the lucrative and gas industry and their quest for its nationalization. Rodriguez has promised to address the issue before he leaves office.
Most Bolivians, meanwhile, are searching for a return to normal life after weeks of upheaval and uncertainly.
In La Paz's downtown Plaza de los
On the spot where protesters clashed with riot police just days before, two tiny carousels whirled children to their delight on a sunny afternoon yesterday.
Nearby, Heriberto Colla, a cook, sat on a wall enjoying a sandwich and watching traffic return to the streets.
Colla said Rodriguez's appointment is far from being a solution to Bolivia's myriad problems. ''There is hope, but we have to be united, think and make good decisions because now there is so much uncertainty and fear," he said.
© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.
