"The immediate challenge for the new parliament is to act with commitment and democratic maturity" writes DSLA member and Co-Founder of Libres en Movimiento, Homero Mendizábal Reyna, for the Forum 2000 Bulletin.
Homero Mendizábal Reyna
A member of the DSLA and Co-founder of Libres en Movimiento, Bolivia
What happened in Bolivia is a true civic feat. After nearly 20 years of a government that, although it came to power democratically in 2006, gradually revealed an authoritarian face, the Bolivian people showed their resilience. Despite the attempts of the Movement for Socialism (MAS), democratic institutions were never completely shut down, thanks to popular resistance.
In the elections of August 17, Bolivia returned to the democratic path. The great surprise was the performance of Rodrigo Paz, son of former social democratic president Jaime Paz Zamora, who captivated voters in the only debate he was invited to. His running mate for the vice presidency, a former police officer of popular background, also generated high expectations, leading the ticket to win 32% of the vote.
They were followed by Tuto Quiroga (26.7%) and Samuel Doria Medina (19.7%), two well-known centrist democrats whose parties also garnered significant support. Together, they concentrated nearly half the votes. This balance opens a golden opportunity for Bolivian democracy, since while some changes require only a simple majority, others need a two-thirds majority in parliament. In short, nearly 85% of Bolivians voted for options opposed to political persecution, opting instead for reconciliation. This outcome also weakens organizations such as the São Paulo Forum and reduces MAS’s group of allies in the region.
Evo Morales’s MAS practically disappeared from the political scene: it obtained barely 3% of the vote, with no representation in the Senate and only two deputies in the lower house. Its governing formula was based on hatred and confrontation, targeting those who thought differently in economic matters, liberal democracy, environmental protection, and even the Amazonian Indigenous peoples, who were victims of a slow ethnocide. MAS’s alliance with authoritarian regimes such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua was nothing more than an attempt to impose a narrative of “hatred of imperialism” and division.
Even though MAS managed to control institutions, Bolivians resisted manipulation and voted for a middle option. The new parliament, composed of forces ranging from center-left to right, is now compelled to negotiate and build consensus.
Opportunities are evident, but the road will not be easy. The immediate challenge for the new parliament is to act with commitment and democratic maturity to lift Bolivia out of political and economic stagnation, amid the worst economic crisis in 40 years.
At present, the judiciary remains subordinated to political power, and public institutions are discredited. The new government must commit to reconciliation and avoid the mistakes of the transitional government, ensuring that every Bolivian who has not committed crimes can live without fear of persecution and that the presumption of innocence is respected.
Reconciliation is not synonymous with impunity. It is essential that executions, human rights violations, kidnappings, the destruction of the Amazon and rivers, and the imprisonment of dissidents be investigated and punished according to the law. Reconciliation means justice and forgiveness, not erasing the past.
The economic challenge is enormous. Deep reforms and fiscal responsibility are needed to avoid a spiral of social conflict and rising poverty, which already affects more than 60% of the population. Without economic stability, democracy is unsustainable. Justice and the economy must be the main pillars for rebuilding the country, prioritizing investment in human capital, quality education, and environmental protection, in order to move beyond a purely extractivist model. Young people are already envisioning these four pillars as the path to development and happiness in Bolivia.
On the international front, the great challenge is confronting the influence of authoritarian powers such as China and Russia, which in the past two decades have infiltrated their propaganda, promising prosperity to disguise their true aim: corruption and misery. The task of the new government and parliament is to expose these false promises and negotiate Bolivia’s transformation in a sovereign way, to ensure that this international alliance does not end up destroying the opportunity that Bolivians have won with their vote.
The views expressed in these works are the responsibility of its authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forum 2000 Foundation or its staff.
