On the Second Round of the Electoral Farce in Bolivia
Almost two decades after the MAS government, “representing the bureaucratic faction of the big bourgeoisie, has run the old Bolivian State”, this Sunday Rodrigo Paz won the elections in Bolivia, as the Association of New Democracy – Germany reports.
The MAS collapsed in the first round due to the “the widespread crisis affecting the old society of oppression and exploitation and the old state that maintains and defends it.” The basis of this political crisis is the serious economic crisis that Bolivia is experiencing, with a strong economic recession, the end of the “raw materials price boom,” and crises occurring in increasingly shorter periods, among other factors.
Thus, the “failure of the reactionary MAS government led by Arce” has been confirmed, resulting in a transition from a government of the bureaucratic faction of the big bourgeoisie to a government of the comprador faction.
The two candidates, Paz and Quiroga, focus their policies on investment and private enterprise, as well as greater submission to Yankee imperialism, although with slight differences in the implementation of these common policies. On the other hand, the Association of New Democracy – Germany reminds us that: “First, the exploitative economic relations between Yankee imperialism and Bolivia were never broken. Bolivia maintained its status as a semi-colonial country, dependent on imperialism, mainly Yankee imperialism, a status that not only persisted but worsened.” In this way, although bourgeois media have characterized this electoral contest as a struggle between “left” and “right,” the left represented by the so-called “21st century socialism” of the MAS and the right by the so-called “conservatives” (both Quiroga and Paz), the reality is that the Bolivian government was already subjected to imperialism, mainly Yankee, and it remains so after these elections.
However, the new government of the Bolivian big bourgeoisie faces a highly divided Congress, a deep economic crisis, problems securing fuel supply, and even threats of protest from the Bolivian Workers’ Union (COB). Taking those factors into account, the Association of New Democracy – Germany states: “the objective situation favorable to the revolution has continued to develop throughout this century, and this does not stop. The country’s situation, as a consequence of its condition, will continue to deteriorate, each time leading to greater crises of every kind, and the struggle of the masses will intensify.”
The Association of New Democracy – Germany has also republished an article analyzing the crisis of bureaucratic capitalism in Bolivia and the rise of mass struggles, which we recommend to read:
We recommend our readers to read the latest report we made on the first round of the elections, based on the articles published by the the Association of New Democracy – Germany.
