Bolivia legislators agree to put draft constitution before voters

Oscar Ordoñez and Patrick J. McDonnell report:

Bolivian legislators on Tuesday agreed to schedule a national referendum on their country's controversial draft constitution, a major victory for leftist President Evo Morales in this deeply divided nation.

"There is no going back from this process of change," said a jubilant, teary Morales, addressing thousands of supporters gathered in the Plaza Murillo in downtown La Paz.

The new constitution provides autonomy for indigenous groups and clears the way for more socialist measures by a president who has already moved to nationalize the nation's energy and telecommunications sectors.

Morales, however, reportedly agreed to modify several of the constitution's more incendiary sections, including those governing land reform and the authority of indigenous courts, which would augment the government judiciary.

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-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City

Comments

[Bolivian Constitution]

Participate in discussions of the articles of the new Bolivian Constitution enacted by President Evo Morales Ayma, in English. Visit http://www.BolivianConstitution.com

[Nick]

P.S.
Just to label coca leaves "ingredient to cocaine" is totally erronneous. To chew coca leaves is for an inhabitant of the Andes mountains like to drink coffee in Mexico City... well I fear the "journalist" is out of pedagogical reach

[Nick]

Your "journalist" should find herself another job - maybe with some Republican propaganda institution. She doesn't explain in which sense the new Bolivian constitution is "socialist". Actually large parts of the right wing opposition support it. She doesn't explain how the new constitution will - if approved - give more powers to the president. As a matter of fact the new constitution will decentralize power to regional levels. The president has accepted not to present himself for reelection in 2014 (though the new constitution would allow him to).

[I Crause]

Thanks to the recent decision of numerous left of centre Latin American governments to stand against together against the divisive and sometimes terroristic tactics the latin right have used against them since the 1940s (Gaitano, Baptista, Pinochet, Garcia Meza, Contras,etc, etc,etc,) and the presence of mind of the populations who voted them in to be served by them, this is a great day in the history of democracy, though it only merits a downpage in most coverage. A shame but not an accident, I think.Best not to draw too much attention to it.
Swivel eyed derechista resentidos aside, if you look properly, you'll see how a socially liberal government that was elected to fight for the poor and who couldn't be bought off, after a 3 year fight which included a military coup attempt, an attempt to start a civil war against it, a regional media attempt to split the country through campaigns of relentless misrepresentation, lwmakers attacked whilst attending the parliament, racist abuse within the parliament itself directed at government representatives by the opposition, countless assassination threats against senior government figures and the formation of fascist militias in opposition regions to attack government supporters have, with the support of the international community, stood tall against all of this and, with 67% of an internationally monitored vote, finally overwhelmed the extra-judicial odds against them and got to the point they can begin reforming their country.
So, finally, the only country in the world that has refused to back the legitimate government of Bolivia is the country run by the same political party that helped put numerous dictators in power in the same part of the world and later sold arms to Iran to fund the fascist paramilitaries that tore through central America raping and murdering peasants.
Makes you proud.
McCain 08!