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Diciembre 29, 2004
Foot in the Door Technique?
Last Thursday, the Bolivian Foreign Minister announced that Bolivia will no longer seek access to the sea through multi-lateral means. You may remember President Carlos Mesa's obsession with bringing up the subject at every international forum, conference, and at the United Nations. Per the request of Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, which Mesa previously discounted, these discussions will take place on a bi-lateral basis. Bolivia took one step towards Chile, and now Mesa is counting on Lagos to reciprocate with the same.
Posted by eduardo at 03:46 PM | Comments (1)
Yalo Cuellar and La Chacarera
Not all Bolivian music is zampoñas and charangos. Some of my favorite Bolivian music comes from Southern Bolivia. Specifically from the Gran Chaco region, Chacarera features fiddles and pounding bass drums. One of the best artists is Yalo Cuellar, born in Yacuiba.
Here are a couple of mp3s (right click and save).
Yalo Cuellar - Chacarera de Aldana
Yalo Cuellar - Muchacha de Risa Loca
Technically La Chacarera is not a Bolivian rhythm, rather something borrowed from our neighbors to the south, Argentina. However, it is now common place in Southern and Southeastern Bolivia.
Posted by eduardo at 09:42 AM | Comments (0)
Diciembre 28, 2004
Colombia Policy Blog
Read the Center of International Policy Colombia Program blog. After reading the aforementioned book about Colombia, I realized I knew next to nothing about that troubled country. Obviously there has to be something historical that we can learn from Colombia (from a Bolivian standpoint).
It is a very good blog that recently started in October. I first became aware of the Center of International Policy after hearing its President, former ambassador Robert White, speak at my alma mater.
Every so often, reports in Bolivian newspapers indicate that members of the FARC and/or ELN have infiltrated some of the social movements, in particular the cocaleros, providing financial and technical assistance.
I'm very interested in learning the connections between Colombian guerrillas and Bolivian groups. What has been the contact between Evo Morales and the FARC or ELN? Whether there are actual connections or invented links, is unknown. Thankfully violence in Bolivia has been infinitesimal in comparison to the tragedies in Colombia. But why is that? (not that I'm complaining). Surely greater poverty and higher incidents of corruption doesn't reduce the possibility of these conflicts and violence.
Posted by eduardo at 02:20 PM | Comments (0)
Lema Quits City Council
In a unexpected turn of events, MAS candidate for the Cochabamba mayorship, Gonzalo Lema resigned his position and is formally leaving MAS.
After pledging to respect the top vote getter, he was criticized by MAS leader Evo Morales. Lema, as the 2nd place vote getter, legally could have sought the mayor chair. Then, he clarified that respecting and supporting Chaly Terceros (the top vote getter) is different than providing him with the sufficient votes to be mayor. As a result, Terceros made an alliance with UCS candidate Edwin Mallon. It is unclear what was exchanged in order for this alliance to happen.
Lema was formally censured by MAS in a meeting last Saturday. All of this left the famous national novelist very bitter.
"No puedo creer que sea algo utópico el contar con un Concejo libre de camarillas y en alianzas basadas en un mero interés político."
Whether or not politics will be in Lema's future is still unknown. It's hard to say whether Lema received less votes because of his association with MAS or more votes because of that party affiliation. I am guessing that he received all the votes associated with MAS no matter who the candidate was, although I have heard many people from Cochabamba say that they like Lema, but would never vote for MAS.
Posted by eduardo at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)
Diciembre 27, 2004
"No Te Salves"
During my massive airport time, I finished reading the book "More Terrible Than Death" by Robin Kirk. One of the individuals in the book, a Colombian human rights worker who was killed had a favorite poem. It was called "No te salves" by the Uruguayan Mario Benedetti.
"No Te Salves" - Mario Benedetti
No te quedes inmóvil
al borde del camino
no congeles el júbilo
no quieras con desgana
no te salves ahora
ni nunca
no te salves
no te llenes de calma
no reserves del mundo
sólo un rincón tranquilo
no dejes caer los párpados
pesados como juicios
no te quedes sin labios
no te duermas sin sueño
no te pienses sin sangre
no te juzgues sin tiempo
pero si
pese a todo
no puedes evitarlo
y congelas el júbilo
y quieres con desgana
y te salvas ahora
y te llenas de calma
y reservas del mundo
sólo un rincón tranquilo
y dejas caer los párpados
pesados como juicios
y te secas sin labios
y te duermes sin sueño
y te piensas sin sangre
y te juzgas sin tiempo
y te quedas inmóvil
al borde del camino
y te salvas
entonces
no te quedes conmigo.
Posted by eduardo at 09:54 PM | Comments (0)
Diciembre 22, 2004
Bolivian Wrestling Federation
Just like the popular Mexican wrestlers on Saturday afternoons, a group of men and women from El Alto have been making a living putting on a wrestling show. Some women have been performing for nearly twenty years and some challenge men.
The most popular wrestlers are the women, dressed in the traditional cholita garb, complete with pollera and bowler hats. With not-so colorful names like Carmen Rosa and Julia la Paceña, these women are the main attraction for approximately 800 Alteños, who pay 5 Bs. admission (.60 cents USD).
Like in any great wrestling show, there always is a villian.
Los rudos asustan a los niños que se acercan demasiado. A veces, reparten cocachos o, como acostumbra el Comando Zabala —vestido con uniforme militar— echan agua que llevan en la boca.
Zabala es el más odiado y temido. Se dedica a insultar a los alteños: “Son la escoria de Bolivia”; “Pobres analfabetos que sólo saben quemar”. La gente le responde a gritos: “Sarna”, “inútil”.
This coming Sunday, a "Titans of the Ring" benefit wrestling match starring 30 men and women will collect funds for various children organizations in the city.
Photos:La Razon
Posted by eduardo at 01:06 PM | Comments (0)
Diciembre 21, 2004
Firestarter
The pressure on Bolivia to sign a treaty with the United States granting immunity to American soldiers is not sitting well with Evo Morales:
"Aprobar (ese tratado por el que presiona Washington) es como decir que nosotros somos como animalitos, que nos matan nomás”, alegó Morales luego de advertir: “Si es necesario hay que incendiar el Congreso, aunque nos digan que estamos atentando contra la democracia”
It's obvious that behind the scenes, American officials are trying to encourage Bolivian lawmakers to sign the treaty. Morales has even hinted that some lawmakers have accepted cash payments in exchange for their vote.
Clearly, it is in Bolivia's soverign right to seek justice for any American soldier who has been found to commit human rights abuses in Bolivia. The United States, in theory, should not have anything to worry about if their soldiers are trained and trustworthy. However, if the Bolivian form of justice looks to find someone guilty before a trial, much less an investigation, then how can a Bolivian or another nationality expect to receive fair treatment (a'la Goni's "Trial").
Naturally, the American embassy denies that any foreign aid is dependent on the signing of this treaty. Perhaps, the Bolivian lawmakers should call their bluff.
Posted by eduardo at 04:02 PM | Comments (0)
Bolivia to Support Mexican Candidate
The spokesperson for President Carlos Mesa announced that Bolivia will support Mexico's Luis Ernesto Derbez to head up the OAS.
Last week Chile officially solicited Bolivia's support for its own candidate. However, Jose Galindo, Mesa's spokesperson said, "for obvious historical reasons" that they cannot support the Chilean candidate.
The Bolivia-Chile sea issue has taken a backseat to the recent municipal elections and the pending Hydrocarbons Law. Neither side will budge on this issue, but in order for some progress to be made, one side will have to show a sign of good faith. It's not known what was Chilean candidate Jose Miguel Insulza's position was on the sea issue, but it appears that Bolivia did not want to take the risk of never having the issue be addressed at the OAS with a Chilean at the top post.
Posted by eduardo at 03:43 PM | Comments (0)
Diciembre 20, 2004
Guatemala Online Documentary
For a non-Bolivia post, take a look at this PBS/Frontline documentary about a village in Guatemala trying to rebuild after the civil war.
Posted by eduardo at 05:00 PM | Comments (0)
Diciembre 19, 2004
New Bolivian Movie
On a tip from Almada de Noche, another new blog from Cochabamba, it seems as if Bolivian movies are being released at a high rate. The new movie "Margaritas Negras" frustrated the writer from said blog. But can you blame him? Just watch the trailer and read the website's synopsis:
Sintiéndose fracasado artística y humanamente, resuelve emprender una constante búsqueda que lo llevará por caminos inciertos en los que el mal juega un rol decisivo y se atraviesa en su relación con Mia, una mujer joven e impetuosa que tempranamente está en la misma búsqueda que Juan.
Enamorado y angustiado, Juan se apoya en el Gordo Mefisto, un supuesto mecenas y coleccionista de arte que lo envuelve en un juego manipulador y le encarga una obra que será la excusa perfecta sobre la cual Juan tomará su más drástica decisión.
Does that sound like a movie you would want to see?
Posted by eduardo at 09:23 PM | Comments (0)
Diciembre 18, 2004
Evo: "Un Cadáver Político Como Tuto Quiroga"
Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, desperate to make a name for himself after his failed project "Roberto Fernandez for Mayor of Santa Cruz", wrote a letter to Venezuela President Hugo Chavez. One of the leading candidates for the Presidency in 2007, Tuto wanted to send a message to Chavez and gain some publicity.
This letter told Chavez to not involve himself in Bolivian politics.
Chavez' close friend, Evo Morales, came to Chavez' defense. In typical Evo fashion, he used ridiculous accusations including that Tuto was involved in the failed coup in Venezuela.
Morales:
"Ese apoyo que tiene ahora está siendo condenado de manera cobarde y cínicamente, pues un cadáver político como Tuto Quiroga, después de errores y muertes dejados durante su gobierno de apenas un año, no puede pretender dar clases de dignidad".
As Morales continues to make statements like these, he turns off more voters. The growing Bolivian middle class will only look at the messenger, and not the message. Behind that message are genuine grievances and serious social and economic problems that are not represented. All of the advances that Evo and MAS have made in the past three years will be for naught.
Posted by eduardo at 05:02 PM | Comments (2)
Diciembre 17, 2004
History to Be Made
For the first time in history, a Bolivian club team takes its chances and goes for a major International competition. The La Paz-based team Bolivar is in Buenos Aires for the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana. With only a 1-0 lead, Bolivar will try to avoid a goleada.
In the famed La Bombonera stadium in the Boca neighborhood in the Argentine capital, the sold out home of Boca Juniors will attempt to rattle the Bolivians. However, Bolivar is no stranger to Boca Juniors beating them in La Paz 3-1 and losing 0-3 during the 2004 Copa Libertadores.
Yet, losing the Cup to Bolivians would be even more embarrassing, considering that country's low footballing status.
Five thousand visitor seats were sold to Bolivians living in Argentina, and in order to purchase these tickets proof of Bolivian origin or nationality had to be proven.
This Bolivar team is very different than the team that steamrolled Boca Juniors last February in La Paz. Missing Jose Alfredo Castillo, who scored a hat trick against Boca, and Luis "Gatti" Ribeiro, arguably the best midfielder for Bolivia, they face an uphill battle. The 1-0 victory last week shows that most likely Boca will walk away with the title, but one still has to play the games.
Posted by eduardo at 08:44 AM | Comments (0)
Diciembre 16, 2004
Bolivia in Wikipedia
Following on Luis' tip about Wikipedia, the free on-line encyclopedia, which includes any and every subject, I looked up a couple of Bolivian entries:
Evo Morales is a leader of the Bolivian cocalero movement, a loose federation of coca-growing campesinos who are resisting the efforts of the Bolivian government to eradicate coca in the department of Chapare. Morales is also leader of the Bolivian political party, Movement Toward Socialism (MAS in its Spanish initials). In the 2002 Bolivian elections, MAS came in second, a surprising upset for Bolivia's traditional parties. As leader of MAS, it brought Morales within a hair's breadth of being elected president of Bolivia, a unique and unprecedented event in the post-columbian history of South America. It made the indigenous activist an instant celebrity throughout the continent.
No mention of this so-called "charisma" that every article seems to refer to, and rightly so. To some, his personality is charismatic and to others, it is arrogant and ego-driven.
Currently, Cochabamba is an economically active city and tends to be one of the more socially liberal locations in the nation. Like other large cities in the Andes, Cochabamba is a city of contrasts. Its downtown core, around areas such as Plaza Colón or Plaza 14 de Septiembre, is generally quite modern. There are bright lights, bustling streets, and countless automobiles and internet cafes. It is in these locations where the majority of the city's business and commercial industries are found. An active nightlife is centered around Calle España (Spain Street) and also along a broad tree-lined boulevard called El Prado. As one moves further out from the city-center, however, the communities become less technologically advanced. Cochabamba's outlaying neighborhoods often find themselves with higher crime rates and lacking electricity, indoor plumbing, and paved streets.
Socially liberal? In what sense?
Bolivia's next presidential elections were scheduled for 2007, but Mesa was quick to point out that his administration was transitional and that he did not intend to complete Sánchez de Lozada's term in office. Although his government has, since then, decided that it will finish the term till 2007. He also promised to hold a binding referendum on the gas export plan which he did with uncertain results as the questions on the referendum were vague and misleading.
I do agree that the questions were vague, although not necessarily misleading. The vast majority of Bolivians want to export the gas, under guarded conditions. The Referendum results reflect that fact, although the interpretation has become politicized especially during the time before the Municipal Elections.
Maybe I'll contribute to Mesa's entry, being as objective as I can (unlikely).
Posted by eduardo at 08:48 PM | Comments (1)
Diciembre 15, 2004
Best Concerts 2004
One of the things I missed most living in Bolivia was live music. For every Collective Soul cover band I had to endure in Cochabamba, I was rewarded back in the States with 4-5 killer shows.
These are the top 10 shows that I saw in 2004.
1. The Polyphonic Spree : Kennedy Center Millenium Stage
2. The Fiery Furnaces : Black Cat
3. Pedro the Lion : In-store Revolution Records
4. Okkervil River : Common Grounds
5. Sufjan Stevens : Black Cat
6. Cursive : 9:30 Club
7. The Decemberists : Black Cat
8. Matt Pond PA : Iota
9. Ted Leo/Matt Pond PA : Black Cat
10. The Good Life : Black Cat
10.5. Wilco : 9:30 (would have been higher, but I got there too late to get a good spot)
This is the first in a series of "Best of..." posts
Posted by eduardo at 04:57 PM | Comments (0)
Diciembre 14, 2004
View From My Room
In Cochabamba, not here, because my view from my room here is just a bunch of dead leaves.
Posted by eduardo at 04:06 PM | Comments (1)
Not So Fast
When MAS candidate Gonzalo Lema announced that he would “support” the first-place candidate in the Cochabamba mayor race (even if it meant finishing far below 50%), Evo Morales probably spit out his coffee in disgust. However, Evo is claiming that he understood support, as being accepting of the inevitable coalition of the first place finisher Chaly Terceros (CIU) and another political party. Little did he know, supposedly, that Lema assumed that support meant giving votes to Chaly.
Now Evo has stepped in saying that there is no way the MAS councilmembers would give their vote to Terceros. After all, he argues, Terceros was a big part of NFR, the ruling party in Cochabamba for the past ten years and one notorious for corruption.
This opens the door for the third and fourth place finishers, with one councilmember apiece (UCS and NFR), to join the ruling coalition. All it would take is one vote to put Terceros’ CIU over the top to assume the mayorship.
Technicially Lema, as the 2nd place finisher with approximately 2% difference, is eligible to become mayor. However, it would take the support from both UCS and NFR to put him over the 6 votes needed. This scenario is far-fetched because the two parties would only give them their votes in exchange for some patronage.
Why is Evo suddenly making waves after a week or more of saying nothing? Perhaps he finally realized that the MAS took none of the 4 urban major cities, or none of the other Department capitals. Even though it is estimated that he improved a bit on his 21% total vote in the 2002 Presidential elections, it is foolish to think all that support for the 327 MAS candidates translates to support for him. Championing oneself as the major political force in the country takes more than a couple of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishes.
Yet, part of the appeal of Sr. Lema was that he was an invited member of the MAS party. A lot of people respected Lema and felt that he could be independent from MAS nationally. There were promises that Evo would take a hands-off approach in Cochabamba, but now clearly he has both hands clearly metidas in the situation.
It is still inevitable that Terceros will become Cochabamba mayor, although the possibility now exists that there will be some sort of agreement with UCS or NFR in exchange for some nice government jobs.
Posted by eduardo at 09:06 AM | Comments (0)
Diciembre 13, 2004
New Bolivia Blog
There's an interesting new blog from Bolivia, called precisely Blog From Bolivia. Take a look at this tidbit:
I am just back from a two day trip to La Paz. I met with the Bolivian Vice-Minister who has been handling the government’s negotiations with Bechtel..... The Vice-Minister verified that our international pressure campaign against Bechtel has worked and that the company is ready to drop its $25 million legal case against Bolivia - for a token sum of two Bolivianos, about 30 cents
How's that for some inside scoop?
The blog is part of the organization The Democracy Center's website. The center's director, Jim Schultz has been living in Cochabamba for quite some time and has been involved in community activism programs in Bolivia, the U.S. and all over the world. The Center won Top Story of the Year from Project Censored for their work in the "Guerra del Agua" 2000. I met Jim in 2003 through some common friends, and when he gave a very informative presentation to the Maryknoll School in Cochabamba.
There are no immediate plans to add a comments section to the blog, primarily due to time constraints. However, hopefully the active interest of the small handful of bloggers who comment on one another's site will convince him that there is room for more discussion about Bolivia in blogs.
Posted by eduardo at 04:03 PM | Comments (4)
Diciembre 12, 2004
Platita
Bolivia.com has a nice feature with images of past currency used in Bolivia. In 1986 at the height of hyperinflation, Bolivia returned from the "peso" back to the "boliviano". Although the word peso is still used.
Posted by eduardo at 06:12 PM | Comments (1)
Origin of the Salteña
Ever wonder how the salteña got its name? Here is a brief explanation.
In the writings of Antonio Paredes Candia one reads that at the begining of the century Ms. Juana Manuela Gorriti -who would later become the wife of president Manuel Isidoro Belzu- was born in the argentine city of Salta, but was exiled together with her family by dictator Rosas. Leaving all their belongings behind, this family finally settled down in the city of Tarija. For many years, the Gorriti family had to bear a life marked by extreme poverty. Desperation made them start preparing English-like pastry products that were called "empanadas caldosas"1; typical of European countries.
The sale of these products was assigned to the well-known and popular Manuela, who was nicknamed "la salteña" refering to her region of origin. The products slowly gained popularity in Tarija and finally became a tradition. Paredes Candia mentions that kids were told to "go and get an empanada from the salteña." However, with the passage of time, most people forgot Manuela Gorriti's name but retained the nickname, and the product adopted this name preserved until today.
Also in this page I found, is a limited list of places outside of Bolivia where one can buy salteñas. Truly emigration will hit its peak when you can buy a salteña in Africa.
Paredes Candia, mentioned above, is a famous Bolivian historian and writer, who devoted all his life to preserving Bolivian traditions. The author of many, many books he is famous for wandering the country collecting oral histories ensuring that the story behind the story does not become lost. He also founded an excellent free museum in El Alto displaying Bolivian modern art.
Posted by eduardo at 09:12 AM | Comments (7)
Diciembre 11, 2004
Humor Me
I don't know why, but this made me laugh.
Informaciones originadas en el Palacio Quemado dan cuenta que el presidente Carlos Mesa sufre una severa depresión. Otras fuentes aseguran que, además, tiene más dolencias.
Nuestro corresponsal en la Plaza Murillo ha podido establecer que el clima político de La Paz no le sienta a Carlos Mesa y que evidentemente, está muy enfermo. El paciente sufre paros y fuertes dolores en El Alto y en su Potosí; sus autonomías están inflamadas y pueden extirpárselas, tiene mucha presión en sus hidrocarburos, una grave retención de gas lo aqueja y encima (o abajo, más bien) al sentarse le molestan las heridas que tiene en su Chile.
From the newspaper, Opinion.
Posted by eduardo at 04:20 PM | Comments (1)
Diciembre 10, 2004
One America
The excitement over the South American Union apparently didn't excite all. Only a handful of South American Presidents signed the agreement, yet it still holds much promise.
The bloc will have a combined gross domestic product of over $970 billion, exports of $188 billion, and big gas, oil and mineral wealth, making it a potential trade powerhouse.
Some point out that this Union cannot move forward when some countries have obvious tensions, including Bolivia and Chile who don't even have ambassadors in the respective countries. Although some are still optimistic of the Union that goes beyond economics.
Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo told reporters the European Union's experience had proved integration took time, but he proclaimed, "Sooner rather than later we will have a single currency, a single passport."
Let's see the EU has the Euro, what would S.A. have?
Posted by eduardo at 05:51 PM | Comments (1)
Santa Cruz Update
Oscar Vargas (MUP) officially gave his votes to 2nd place finisher, Percy Fernandez. In exchange, reportedly Vargas' group receives half the local government jobs and will become mayor for the last two of the five year term.
Posted by eduardo at 06:25 AM | Comments (5)
Diciembre 09, 2004
A Look at Santa Cruz
When I asked my friend in Santa Cruz, which mayoral candidate was aligned the most with the Comite Civico, she told me Oscar Vargas (MUP). I admit I don’t know as much about Santa Cruz politics, than I do about Cochabamba. However, in the past year I have become interested in the legitimate autonomy issue and how the populist Cruceño (not Camba) groups, mainly the Comite Civico, have manipulated the issue to serve their future interests. Days after the municipal elections, hypocrisy is taking shape revealing true interests and how in the end, they are centralists at heart.
The virtual three-way tie with no candidate passing the 23% mark, has opened up a Pandora’s box in Santa Cruz. According to the law, either of the two top vote-getters can become mayor, only with the support and votes from the other elected councilmembers. This precisely means, either first place finisher Roberto Fernandez (AXX1) or 2nd – place Percy Fernandez (FAJT) can become mayor, with a little help from Vargas.
Maybe the respective “citizen groups”, which are represented by the top three finishers, (comprised of ex-political party members), should have taken courses in negotiations. As a result, huge negotiating teams have been assembled to hash out scenarios where Vargas could support Roberto. Vargas could possibly support Percy, but not the other way around. Percy can also support Roberto, and vice-versa (not very likely).
So what’s at the center of these negotiations? Naturally everyone involved is denying that “pegas” (government jobs) are at the heart of the matter. Publicly, everyone is claiming that government plans and philosophies are what these politicians are deeply concerned about.
The leader of the MUP (Oscar’s group) is Ivo Kuljis, a powerful Cruceño businessman, who has a lengthy political resume, which includes a stint as Presidential candidate in 1997 with UCS and as Veep in 2002 under Manfred Reyes Villa and NFR. He is also a part of the Comite Civico. Kuljis desperately wants in the governing coalition. Jumping from party to party and now to a citizens' group shows this man's true colors.
Vargas seems to be in the driver’s seat as he holds potential to put either Percy or Roberto over the magical number of votes. However, Percy may ask for less government jobs in comparison to Oscar. It’s important to be greedy, but not too greedy or else someone else may get the jobs. Yet, one should hold out for all that they can. Bluffs, offers, counteroffers are all part of the dirty game called politics.
In theory, true champions of autonomies would be aghast at a select few individuals at the bargaining table with public sector jobs as gambling chips. Yet, Kuljis and Vargas, who have brought the topic of autonomy into play and are behind the regional autonomy banner, are benefiting from their own centralist roles. The opposite of centralism is decentralization, where this type of nepotism and patronage is reduced or eliminated as much as possible. The only way Oscar Vargas or Percy Fernandez would give votes to Roberto Fernandez in exchange for government jobs or influence, which shows true hypocrisy.
Not to be discounted is the potential springboard to the national scene as part of the coalition. Both Roberto and Oscar are relatively young, in comparison to the dinosaurs of Bolivian politics, and both want to be part of discussions for President.
This type of thing isn’t restricted to Santa Cruz. The same thing would be happening in La Paz, El Alto and Cochabamba if the winner wouldn’t have received as high of percentage. In Cochabamba, MAS candidate pledged to support the top vote-getter regardless.
Sidebar: From ProDemos The 2nd largest city in Santa Cruz Department, Montero had broad support for MAS.
Montero es uno de los municipios principales del departamento de Santa Cruz. Allí, el postulante del MAS, Edwin Tupa Tupa, logró más de 5500 votos de los 25.364 válidos, venciendo al candidato Gerardo Rosado quien tuvo hasta que abandonar su militancia al Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario (MNR) y presentarse con una agrupación ciudadana: Acción e Integración (AI).
Even in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the MAS candidate "Chato" Peredo finished in a respectable 4th place. The type of claims that the regional elite make, insisting that they represent the entire "media luna" continue to be discredited.
Posted by eduardo at 04:13 PM | Comments (1)
Diciembre 07, 2004
More Election Analysis
Daniel's monthly post in his Kaiki blog (although I wish he would write more often) talks a bit about voter turnout, among other things.
- Un alto nivel de ausentismo a nivel nacional(se habla de un 39%), no quiero interpretar esto pero no es nada bueno, máxime considerando que se amenazó con depurar de las listas de la Corte Nacional Electoral a quienes no votaran.
Last July's Referendum hit 60% participation and the 1999 Municipal Elections reached 60%. Source: CNE This year's elections only seemed to produce a 1% increase. Even with the new participation rules, voter participation stayed at nearly the same level on a national scale.
Posted by eduardo at 06:31 PM | Comments (1)
Diciembre 06, 2004
Consolation Prize
MAS candidate and Barrio Flores favorite, Gonzalo Lema said he will respect the majority candidate. This means that when the final tallies are announced and if CU candidate Gonzalo Terceros is still leading (regardless of how little the difference), Lema's councilmembers will cast their vote for Terceros.
What this means is that the notorious behind-the-scenes coalition wheeling and dealing may not happen. This saves Terceros from possibly having to align himself with his ex-party NFR.
However, Lema could shock everyone and form an alliance with NFR and UCS, springing MAS to its first-ever mayorship of one of the 4 major cities. Yet, it probably serves MAS' best interest to remain in the opposition, with a strong 4 councilmembers of a possible 11.
These developments could keep NFR out of la Alcaldia, for the first time in ten years, which would be a great thing for Cochabamba (hence, the consolation prize).
Cochabamba Notes:
Check out Los Tiempos' (Cochabamba newspaper) front page this morning. Possibly the worst front page ever, with Terceros pulling off a Michael Jackson dance move.
Vote dispersal? You betcha. The bottom nine candidates only totaled 8.4% of the total votes. The difference between Terceros and Lema is 2.7% If Bolivia's system called for a second round run-off, would the support from the minor candidates push a greater mandate for one of the top two?
Cochabamba's Corte Nacional Electoral page exists, but is not yet functioning. Hopefully this site will break down the vote according to districts and neighborhoods.
These are the elected councilmembers: Gonzalo Terceros (CIU),(Suplente: Miriam Cardona de Tomisic), Roberto Requena (CIU),Tatiana Rojas (CIU), Víctor Calderón (CIU), Ana Paulina Pinto (CIU), Gonzalo Lema (MAS), Oscar Coca (MAS), Clemencia Orellana (MAS), Javier Cremer (MAS), Jhonny Antezana (NFR),Edwin Mallón (UCS)
Posted by eduardo at 07:27 PM | Comments (3)
Diciembre 05, 2004
Troubling
If the exit polls numbers hold up in Cochabamba, we can be seeing a CU/NFR coalition. Terceros' four seats plus NFR's two seats could be all that is needed to create a majority (11 seats). The wild card will be if Terceros wants nothing to do with NFR since he was involuntarily removed as mayor by Manfred Reyes Villa.
Posted by eduardo at 05:58 PM | Comments (0)
Exit Polls Galore
According to exit polls conducted by Apoyo Opinion y Mercado and some television stations, the following candidates are leading with the following percentages (via Bolivia.com):
Cochabamba: Gonzalo Terceros (CU) 31%, Gonzalo Lema (MAS) 29%, Jhonny Antezana (NFR) 12% (AO y M)
El Alto: Jose Luis Paredes (PP) 60%, Wilson Soria (MAS) 14%, Roberto de la Cruz (M17) 9% (Red ATB)
La Paz: Juan del Granado (MSM) 52%, Pablo Ramos (MAS) 14% (AO y M)
No word on Santa Cruz
However, these are only EXIT POLLS, and we all know how misleading these can be. Other exit polls conducted by the television stations Red Unitel and Red UNO are releasing very different figures, such as Unitel only predicting 33% for del Granado.
In El Alto, Roberto de la Cruz of COR fame has announced that he has won 6 seats on the city council translating to more than 50% of the vote (11 seats on El Alto's city council). This claim is highly unlikely even if the final results deviate far from the predicted 9%
Posted by eduardo at 05:44 PM | Comments (1)
Barrio Flores Endorsement
Like any other Bolivian, Cochabambinos are fiercely proud of their city. They point out the near-perfect climate and how modern the city has become. “La Ciudad Jardin” is showcased in its finely manicured plazuelas and the iconic “El Prado”. Most recently the new public works projects of the Recoleta Bridge and the Muyurina Overpass are further proof that Cochabamba is progressing.
That is what the ruling party Nueva Fuerza Republicana (NFR) has been using as their argument for reelection. These visible displays of advancement were needed to better the city and the bridges needed to suppress traffic headaches, but clearly Cochabamba faces more important needs such as potable water, sewer systems, and more efficiency in the public administration.
Mammoth projects such as the Overpass cost an estimated 4 million dollars. No one on the street would be able to give you a rough guess as to how much money was needed to complete the project. There have been insinuations that these large projects are opportunities for the government to receive kickbacks from builders who overcharge.
Not to mention that in the ten years since NFR took power, they have accumulated 60 million dollars in debt. In those ten years, 6 different mayors held office, some removed personally by NFR chief Manfred Reyes Villa.
In politics, I hate having to resort to the “Anybody But….” vote. Although in this case, it plays a part in having to find alternative choices. One of the favorites “Chaly” Terceros of citizen group Ciudadanos Unidos (CU) is a former mayor of Cochabamba in the same NFR. Some are afraid that he is using the new citizen group rule to eventually realign himself with NFR, if the vote obligates for coalition-building.
Today’s Cochabmaba requires a mayor to understand the growing urban problems, particularly in the Zona Sud. Thinking critically often requires the ability to be imaginative and creative. These skills are held by people from all walks of life. No one has ever accused a fiction novelist of being unimaginative.
That is why one of the reasons I support Gonzalo Lema for mayor of Cochabamba. An aunt told me that Lema would never make a good politician, because government requires more practicality and for he or she to be a “professional” i.e. economist. Although many do not know that he has recent experience as a representative on the Corte Nacional Electoral, an important public service position.
Lema was invited by Evo Morales to be the candidate of the Movimiento Al Socialismo (MAS). Even though he is not a registered party member, rather an invited member, that would be appealing to some. I am not a MAS party member, nor a MAS sympathizer on a national level. I frequently disagree with Evo Morales and am troubled with his political style. However, I feel that on a local level, MAS deserves the opportunity to practice what it preaches. On a local level, the issue of coca eradication, Hydrocarbons law or the Chile sea issue rarely applies in local politics.
If MAS comes to power, it would ben an excellent opportunity to push the real problems of the city to the forefront. Water issues and issues facing the poor are essentially what would be driving a Lema administration, because he would have been elected largely by the vote of these poorer parts of the city.
On a Lema MAS brochure, there was a picture of Evo Morales, with this quote (paraphrasing): “If elected, Mayor Lema will never have to answer to MAS or Evo Morales, and would only have to answer to the city and its people.”
This promised hands-off approach and removal of Evo Morales from a Lema mayorship is imperative for Lema to attract the middle-class vote, who often hold distaste for Morales' overbearing and ego-driven foray into national politics. Lema's fresh approach to city politics and a need to remove any related NFR official as far away as possible from the Alcaldia (removing the possibility of including NFR in a governing coalition), makes Lema an interesting choice for mayor of Cochabamba.
(Note: I don't claim to have any sort of influence over today's elections. I just wanted to try and articulate why I support Lema).
Posted by eduardo at 12:06 PM | Comments (0)
What To Look For
Anything can happen in today’s municipal elections. Reports of fraudulent ballots have been making rounds in Santa Cruz. I’m restricted to news from online newspapers, which have been accused of favoritism towards certain candidates. Even informal polling of Bolivians I have spoken with through IM found that many are still undecided. This indecision and questionable polling could change the results that were predicted.
Evo Morales’ MAS party is looking to make a strong showing in rural areas, although his candidate in Cochabamba could come in first. Even though many admire Gonzalo Lema and think he would be an honest mayor, many won’t vote for him because of the relationship with Evo. MAS, I believe, is the only political party to participate in all 327 municipalities.
It will also be important to see whether the traditional political parties maintain the vote of party loyalists. So many new citizen’s groups have formed, comprised of party members, and most are relying on their fellow party members for their vote. This is the crossroads for MNR, MIR and NFR, whether they remain relevant in local and national politics.
There are indications that the candidates in El Alto and La Paz, Pepe Lucho Paredes and Juan del Granado, respectively, may win outright (50% + 1 of the vote). Both are the incumbent mayors. Paredes, ex-MIR formed his own citizen’s groups and del Granado is the head of La Paz-based party Movimiento Sin Miedo (MSM).
In the other two major cities (Santa Cruz and Cochabamba), the top 3-4 favorites may have to contend with vote dispersal, thus obligating the new city council to elect the mayor. We may not know the results for some time. Some candidates have proposed that all those running should honor the popular vote and ensure that the top vote-getter should be made mayor, even if he/she received 20-something percent. Others have argued that this is anti-democratic.
Posted by eduardo at 11:24 AM | Comments (0)
Diciembre 03, 2004
Charity Bolivia
Charity Bolivia is a project that two friends are working on, just outside of Cochabamba. I met them on my most recent trip to Bolivia. I wish I had a chance to visit, but maybe on my next trip. Basically the project is a home for abandoned children or street children, which stresses community living and ecological responsibility.
Posted by eduardo at 11:49 AM | Comments (2)
Latin American Youth
The report "Social Panamora of Latin America" released by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) found that poverty decreased a little in the region, but running far behind the pace to reach the Millenium Development Goals.
One especially interesting section in the report includes a demographic look at Latin American youth.
It is noted that the Latin American youth of today are more severely affected than other groups by a series of troubling paradoxes, such as the combination of greater access to education with fewer employment opportunities, of freer access to information with less access to power and of greater expectations of autonomy with fewer chances for acheiving it.
The summary can be found on the link above, and the full report will be released in the near future.
Posted by eduardo at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)
Diciembre 02, 2004
Media Politics
As referred to in the comments section of MABB, I was concerned how the media and the polls have manipulated opinions and the subsequent coverage of the upcoming elections. A recent debate in Santa Cruz only included Roberto and Percy Fernandez (no relation). Why weren't the other candidates given the opportunity to participate? Because the polls said they weren't viable candidates a'la Ralph Nader?
Seven candidates, who have not received much press including Osvaldo Peredo, who at one time polled higher than Percy Fernandez and a mere 5% of the frontrunner, published a letter denouncing the media favoritism based on power and economic interests. It would be interesting to see how this elite-driven hold on power has played into the hands of the Comite Civico's propaganda for autonomy (that's another story, though).
Read the letter (in Spanish):
Sí a la democracia, no a la manipulación
Por primera vez en la historia democrática de nuestro municipio, estamos asistiendo a una lucha de grupos económicos y mediáticos por lograr el control de los recursos y el destino de nuestro querido pueblo.
Existen tres candidaturas financiadas por fuertes intereses económicos y grupos de poder, patrocinadas por medios de comunicación, que sin descaro alguno están manipulando a la opinión pública en la forma más siniestra y descarada posible:
1. El grupo económico Kuljis, cuyo interés es que el Banco Económico maneje la plata del pueblo, apoyado por el Canal 13 (Red Uno), tiene como candidato al ciudadano Óscar Vargas Ortiz.
2. El grupo económico Monasterio, cuyo interés es que el banco Ganadero maneje la plata del pueblo, apoyado por canal 9 (Red Unitel), tiene como candidato al ciudadano Percy Fernández Añez.
3. El grupo económico Mercado-Suazo-Quiroga, cuyo interés es que el banco Mercantil maneje la plata del pueblo, apoyado por EL DEBER, tiene como candidato al ciudadano Roberto Fernández Saucedo.
Ante esta dramática situación, en la cual se inventan encuestas y buscan desprestigiar a los adversarios, invocamos al pueblo a no dejarse engañar por las mentiras repetidas día a día en los diferentes medios al servicio de poderosos grupos económicos.
El pueblo tiene el deber de elegir este 5 de diciembre a los candidatos y candidatas que mejores propuestas y proyectos hubiesen presentado a su consideración.
Rogamos a Dios, salvar a nuestro pueblo del ataque mediático de los poderosos.
Posted by eduardo at 04:18 PM | Comments (0)
Diciembre 01, 2004
Experimenting With mp3s
In the spirit of the mp3-blogs, I uploaded an mp3 to share. I don't know if it will take up a lot of bandwidth. If it doesn't, I'll be sharing other samples of not only Bolivian music, but other music as well, in the future. (Right-click and save-as).
Tupay - Nunca Tuve Suerte en el Amor
This is a tinku by former members of the band Los Kjarkas.
Let me know what you think about this added component to barrio flores.
Posted by eduardo at 01:58 PM | Comments (0)
El "Rio" Rocha
The word river is in quotation marks because it really doesn't look like a river. My mother used to tell me how the river used to a beautiful boundary between la Zona Norte (Cala Cala) and el Centro. In rainy season, there is more than a trickle, but in October the river bed is pretty nasty with mangy dogs looking for some grub.
Posted by eduardo at 01:51 PM | Comments (0)
Andean Free Trade Agreement
Negotiations resumed yesterday in Tucson, Arizona for the Andean Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) involving the Andean countries of Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru. Bolivia is participating as an observer. The trade in question not only includes goods and products crossing respective borders, but may also include measures to deregulate and privatize essential services such as water service, telecommunications, roads, and health care (in Latin America, obviously).
U.S. negotiators are looking for a greater liberalization of the Andean countries’ abilities to control business within their borders, a control that could potentially give preference to local vendors or nationally-owned companies. Other items on the U.S.’ agenda include greater restrictions on prescription drugs. The millions of poor in Latin American depend on generic versions of popular drugs, but the new laws may restrict access and extend monopoly rights for giant pharmaceutical corporations. Copyright and other patent laws are also on the table.
The U.S. is also looking to broaden investor-state legal mechanisms, which would give corporations the increased rights to sue governments in a third-party court. No longer would national laws apply within their own borders involving these lawsuits. These laws would provide greater leverage in protecting investments and other poorly negotiated agreements.
The Andean countries are simply looking for increased fairness, namely in the farm subsidy field. Subsidies provided to U.S. farmers have helped drive prices down to a point where it is often cheaper to import foreign food products than to produce them locally in these Andean countries. The lack of markets is only one of the reasons the Alternative Development program failed in Bolivia.
Subsidies have been a touchy subject in trade talks, and you might remember Brasil’s stance that pushed the issue to the forefront at the WTO meetings in Cancun in 2003. President Lula assembled other developing nations to form the G21 group to rally behind the elimination of these subsidies that would level the playing field for countries that have rich agricultural traditions. Trade fairness should be one of the top priorities in these talks.
Posted by eduardo at 01:31 PM | Comments (0)