President Luis Arce inaugurated the celebrations for the bicentennial of the creation of Bolivia on Monday with a call to resolve the strong social and political tensions facing the country in “unity, social peace and democracy.”
The 200 years of independence find the country hit by a harsh economic crisis with annual inflation around 10%, shortage of basic goods, social unrest and political uncertainty in the face of the presidential elections that will take place on August 10, aggravated due to the division of the ruling party that has been in power for almost two decades.
“The bicentennial should be an opportunity for unity and social peace in the face of a changing international context that is oriented toward a multipolar destiny and I call for unity and resolving our differences in democracy,” said the president from the southern city of Sucre. , historical capital of Bolivia.
More than 700 authorities and diplomatic representations participated in the ceremony in Plaza 25 de Mayo, where in 1809 a popular revolt against Spanish colonial power began that would spread to the entire continent. The war of independence took 15 years until the creation of Bolivia on August 6, 1825.
The celebrations will be austere due to the economic crisis, authorities anticipated, and will coincide with a disputed electoral campaign for the presidential elections in August that finds the ruling party fractured.
The leader and founder of the Movement towards Socialism (MAS), former president Evo Morales (2006-2016), faces a criminal investigation for the alleged abuse of a minor when he was president and resists being investigated. He has taken shelter in his coca-growing fiefdom of Chapare, in the center of the country, protected by his most loyal bases.
Despite having been disqualified by a constitutional ruling from participating in the elections, Morales remains firm in his candidacy and accuses his heir and successor, President Arce, of seeking to politically ban him. The former president has an arrest warrant and an immigration alert that prevents him from leaving the country.
For his part, Arce has not decided whether he will be a candidate, but the first voting intention surveys give him little chance due to wear and tear due to the economic crisis. For the first time in two decades, the MAS is not a favorite to win the elections, experts say.
However, centrist and right-wing opponents are divided and lack a consensus candidate. A dozen candidates anticipated their intention to enter the electoral arena.
If no candidate obtains a clear majority at the polls, the next government will not have the muscles to face the fundamental reforms that the economic crisis needs, said former representative Jimena Costa.
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