Global Information2019 Bolivian political crisis information
| 2019 Bolivian political crisis | |||
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  Jeanine Áñez assuming the presidency (left); Evo Morales speaking in Mexico, where he received political asylum (right) | |||
| Date | 10 November 2019 - 20 November 2019 | ||
| Location | La Paz, Bolivia | ||
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| Methods | Barricades, demonstrations, and hunger strikes | ||
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| Casualties and losses | |||
| Dead: 33 (26 November 2019)[2] Injured: 715 (17 November 2019) | |||
Crisis and protests in Latin America in 2019 | |
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 Bolivia (political crisis)
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| 2019 Bolivian political crisis |
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 Bolivia portal |
A political crisis occurred in Bolivia on 10 November 2019, after 21 days of civil protests following the disputed 2019 Bolivian general election in which incumbent President Evo Morales was initially declared the winner. The elections took place after a referendum to amend the Bolivian constitution, which limits the number of terms to two, was rejected in 2016. In 2017 under political pressure and a legal demand from the Morales government,[3] the Constitutional Tribunal (TCP) ruled that all public offices would have no term limits despite what was established in the constitution and allowing Evo Morales to run for a fourth term.[4]
The TCP's basis for this anti Constitutional decision was the Pact of San Jose regarding human rights[5] and Article 411 giving international treaties preeminence over the Constitution text itself. Challenges to this 2017 decision made by Bolivian citizens and constitutional experts were subsequently denied by the TCP,[6] and at the time of the 2019 election a query to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (CIDH) was pending. In 2021, the CIDH set the matter to rest in a consultative opinion requested by Colombia, which states that re-election is not a human right.[7] Rather, the decision states that breaking a Constitutional mandate of term limits to allow indefinite re-election attacks the human rights of citizens. According to Articles 13 and 411 of the Bolivian Constitution,[8] this CIDH decision overrides any contrary ruling by the TCP or Legislative Assembly. The Constitution of Bolivia[8] grants the TCP authority to interpret, but not to modify the Constitution.
An audit by the Organization of American States (OAS),[9] which released a full report afterwards, concluded that significant irregularities happened during the electoral process.[10][11][12] Observers from the European Union released a report with similar findings and conclusions as the OAS.[13][14] The military and the police of Bolivia, along with the Bolivian Workers' Center (COB), recommended President Evo Morales to resign. He did, accompanied by other resignations by high-level politicians throughout the day, some citing fears for the safety of their families. The government of Mexico offered political asylum to Morales the following day, which Morales accepted a day afterwards.[15][16]
The second vice president of the Senate, opposition senator Jeanine Áñez, assumed the role of president on 12 November. This was not without controversy, as her initial appointment was made during a brief legislative session that lacked quorum, due to a boycott by Morales's party, Movement for Socialism (Movimiento al Socialismo; MAS).[17] Bolivia's Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal then endorsed Áñez's assumption of the presidency, and the MAS ruling party returned most members to both chambers, with some assuming key positions such as Leader of the Senate.[18][19][20] They also committed to working with the interim government towards new elections.[21] In addition to the controversy around her appointment, Áñez's government began a campaign against Morales's supporters. Newly appointed Interior Minister Arturo Murillo vowed to pursue members of Morales's administration[22][23] and Áñez's government charged Morales with "terrorism and sedition".[23][22] Áñez introduced Christian religious symbols into state procedures, a move perceived by The New York Times as directly related to Morales's 14 years of support for Indigenous culture.[24]
Morales called for the Bolivian people to reject the leadership of Áñez. He and his supporters argued that the event was a coup d'état. International politicians, scholars and journalists were divided between describing the event as a coup or popular uprising.[1][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][excessive citations] The Bolivian Congress, with the majority being members of Morales's MAS party, unanimously approved a bill on 23 November 2019 that annulled the results of 20 October election, allowed for new elections and prevented Evo Morales from participating in the new elections.[32][33][34] The bill was signed into law the next day by president Áñez.[35] The unrest would ultimately lead to the Senkata and the Sacaba massacres.[36]
On 4 December 2019, the OAS released its final report related to 20 October election, detailing what they called "deliberate" and "malicious" tactics to rig that election in favor of President Morales.[37][38] Analysis by the progressive, left-leaning US thinktank Center for Economic and Policy Research rejected the OAS statistical analysis of election data, arguing that a basic coding error resulted in inexplicable changes in trend.[39][40][41] In August 2021, a report commissioned by the OAS and carried out by independent human rights experts concluded that the Añez government's path to power came with "irregularities" and serious human rights abuses by security forces.[42][43][44] In June 2022, the Bolivian courts convicted Áñez for charges committed during the political crisis. She was sentenced to ten years in prison.[24][45]
- ^ a b "Bolivian President Evo Morales resigns". BBC News. 11 November 2019."Bolivian president Evo Morales resigns after election result dispute". The Guardian. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019."Nicaraguan government denounces "coup" in Bolivia: statement". Reuters. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019."Mexico says Bolivia suffered coup due to military pressure on Morales". Reuters. 11 November 2019.Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro; Marta Rodríguez (12 November 2019). "Evo Morales political asylum: Is Bolivia facing a coup d'etat?". Euronews.John Bowden (11 November 2019). "Sanders 'very concerned about what appears to be a coup' in Bolivia". The Hill.
- ^ "Human rights violations in Bolivia merit outside probe: Americas commission head". Reuters. 26 November 2019.
- ^ "El Tribunal Constitucional de Bolivia autoriza a Evo Morales a buscar la reelección como presidente sin límites". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ Blair, Laurence (3 December 2017). "Evo for ever? Bolivia scraps term limits as critics blast 'coup' to keep Morales in power". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
This week, the country's highest court overruled the constitution, scrapping term limits altogether for every office. Morales can now run for a fourth term in 2019 – and for every election thereafter. ... the referendum results – which the government claims were invalid due to an opposition smear campaign directed by Washington ...
- ^ "Equipo Nizkor - Sentencia Constitucional Plurinacional 84/2017 que autoriza la repostulación de Evo Morales a la Presidencia". www.derechos.org. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ "Bolivia reafirma ante la CIDH constitucionalidad del fallo del TCP que habilita a la postulación del Presidente Evo Morales | MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES". www.cancilleria.gob.bo. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ "Corte IDH_CP-53-2021" (PDF). Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos. 13 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Bolivia, Constitution 2009" (PDF). OAS Bolivian Constitution document. 7 February 2009.
- ^ Anthony Faiola & Rachelle Krygier, Bolivia's Morales agrees to new elections after OAS finds 'manipulation', Washington Post (10 November 2019).
- ^ "OAS – Organization of American States: Democracy for peace, security, and development". August 2009.
- ^ "OAS – Organization of American States: Democracy for peace, security, and development" (PDF). August 2009.
- ^ "OAS audit of Bolivian election finds evidence of systematic fraud". CBC News.
- ^ "Unión Europea Misiónde Expertos Electorales Bolivia 2019 Informe Final" (PDF) (in Spanish). European Union in Bolivia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ "Informe de la UE detectó "numerosos errores" en elecciones de Bolivia | Voice of America – Spanish". www.voanoticias.com (in Spanish). Voice of America Spanish. 21 December 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ "Mexico says it would offer asylum to Bolivia's Morales if he sought it". Reuters. 11 November 2019 – via www.reuters.com.
- ^ "Bolivia crisis: Evo Morales accepts political asylum in Mexico". BBC News. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
El Paíswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:3was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Mónica Eva Copa Murga asume la presidencia de la Cámara de Senadores – Diario Pagina Siete". www.paginasiete.bo (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ "Bolivia's warring parties strike deal for new elections to end deadly unrest". France 24. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Justice as a Weapon: Political Persecution in Bolivia". Human Rights Watch. 11 September 2020. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
guardianhrwwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Janetsky, Megan; Trigo, María Silvia (10 June 2022). "Former Bolivian President Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ "AP Explains: Did a coup force Bolivia's Evo Morales out?". Associated Press. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
Whether the events Sunday in Bolivia constitute a coup d'état is now the subject of debate in and outside the nation. ... Bolivia's "coup" is largely a question of semantics
- ^ Fisher, Max (12 November 2019). "Bolivia Crisis Shows the Blurry Line Between Coup and Uprising". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
But the Cold War-era language of coups and revolutions demands that such cases fit into clear narratives. ... Experts on Bolivia and on coups joined forces on Monday to challenge the black-and-white characterizations, urging pundits and social media personalities to see the shades of gray.
- ^ Zabludovsky, Karla (14 November 2019). "Bolivia Is The Internet's Latest Rorschach Test". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
And, as so often with the big names of Latin America – where the word "coup" is supercharged ... how you see what has happened to him is often dependent on your own political ideology. On the left, he's seen as the victim of a putsch; on the right, his downfall is taken as evidence of democracy trumping authoritarianism on the continent.
- ^ de Haldevang, Max (15 November 2019). "The world's as divided about Bolivia's alleged coup as Bolivians themselves". Quartz. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
So…was it a coup? Experts are as divided as everyone else on the question.
- ^ Johnson, Keith (11 November 2019). "Why Is Evo Morales Suddenly No Longer President of Bolivia?". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
It's not a coup in any sense of the word, and Bolivia and Latin America have experience with actual coups. The army did not take charge of Bolivia. Morales, despite his protestations that police had an arrest warrant for him, is not in custody or even being sought.
- ^ "Bolivia reflects the deep polarization crisis in Latin America". Atlantic Council. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
Countries are debating why Evo Morales left power. Did he leave power of his own volition or was it a coup? There are two different responses to that question based on which country is speaking.
- ^ "Coup or not a coup? Bolivia's Evo Morales flees presidential crisis". Univision (in Spanish). 12 November 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
The discussion over whether it was a coup falls largely along ideological lines. Left wing supporters of Morales point like to point to a long history of military coups in Latin America, while critics of the former president point to the 14 years he spent in power, in violation of constitutional term limits. ... But political experts say the events hardly resemble a classic coup scenario. ... In a typical coup, the military usually take a more proactive role, taking up arms against the sitting ruler and installing one of their own in the presidential palace, at least temporarily.
- ^ "BBill for new elections in Bolivia sails through Congress". reuters. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ "Bolivia approves new elections excluding Evo Morales". dw. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ Otis, John (5 December 2019). "Veteran President's Rift With Bolivian Military Helped Drive His Early Exit". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
- ^ "Bolivia's interim President Añez approves legislation to hold new elections". dw. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ "Five Killed as Political Violence Keeps Grip on Bolivia". The New York Times. 20 November 2019.
In El Alto late Tuesday night, witnesses said, a military unit guarding the Senkata gasoline plant opened fire on protesters who had surrounded the plant for over a week. By blocking tankers from leaving the plant, Mr. Morales's supporters were able to cut off La Paz's main source of gasoline and food, causing acute shortages. At least eight people were reported killed.
- ^ "Bolivia election rigging in favor of Morales was 'overwhelming': OAS final report". todayonline.com/. 4 December 2019. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ "Bolivia:'Overwhelming' evidence of vote rigging". dw. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ Curiel, John; Williams, Jack R. "Analysis | Bolivia dismissed its October elections as fraudulent. Our research found no reason to suspect fraud". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ Kurmanaev, Anatoly; Trigo, María Silvia (7 June 2020). "A Bitter Election. Accusations of Fraud. And Now Second Thoughts". The New York Times.
- ^ Laing, Aislinn (2 March 2020). "Study casting doubt on Bolivian election fraud triggers controversy". Reuters.
- ^ "Bolivia's interim government tortured and executed opponents, report says". The Guardian. La Paz. Associated Press. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
- ^ Booth, Amy (18 August 2021). "Racism, Sexism, and Politics Fueled Massacres in Bolivia, Says Report". Vice. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
- ^ AP Newswire (17 August 2021). "Report shines light on abuse by Bolivia's interim government". The Independent. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
- ^ Herrero, Ana Vanessa; Ang, Katerina (11 June 2022). "Bolivia sentences ex-president to 10 years in prison after coup trial". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.