The protests against and in favour of the results of the election on 20 October in Bolivia have escalated and the whole country were produced shocks and threats between supporters of the Government —that blocked the roads in the rural area and try to unlock the streets in the urban areas— and opponents who, entrenched in the cities, they strive to stop the daily activities of the population. The excandidato Carlos Mesa and the vice-president, Álvaro García Linera, blamed each other of intensifying the conflict and causing violence.
Garcia Linera called a press conference to accuse Carlos Mesa of “bad loser”, “candidate-violent” and a man “haunted by the dead” of its political past. Invited to the Table to “stop ensangrentar to the humble people” and showed video in which groups of opponents filmed beatings and vejaban to “collas”, or immigrants of indian origin in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the stronghold of the opposition, who is completely paralysed by the strike called by the opposition. García Linera also said that Mesa does not accept an international audit of the election results, because what the fund looks for is the resignation of Evo Morales. Therefore, inferred, the rejection of the elections form part of a “coup,” behind which, he said, is a bunch of opponents in exile in the united States and other countries.
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Shortly before the appearance of García Linera in front of the press, a Table had been circulated a video warning that there is a government strategy to involve violent groups and held accountable to him for what happens. Table denied having an intention or violent coup, and called to continue the peaceful protest in “defence of the vote and of democracy”.
Garcia Linera said that the Government is not calling anyone to move, but seeks to normalise everyday life. Corrected president Evo Morales, who on Saturday had called to “encircle” the cities with the locks peasants, “to see if (these) hold up” without food. García Linera said that discourse of Morales was just a “comment” of a prior decision of farmers ‘ unions, that the Government “regrets”. In any case, the blockades of roads have already started and will surely be extended in the following days.
According to the government, if the opposition alleges that there was fraud in the elections is because he does not want to recognize the vote of rural areas. In this version, the difference there was between the computations on the day of the vote, which suggested the need for a playoff, and the final tally, which gave the victory to Morales in the first round, was due to the late arrival of the votes of the field, which were largely favorable to the president. “You have to defend the vote, it is not possible that the right bolivian unknown to the rural areas, our successes have always been with the vote of the rural areas,” he said yesterday Moral. For the opposition, this difference just be explained by an interference of fraudulent electoral authorities.
Some analysts believe that the statements of both parties blaming each other of a possible outbreak of violence looking to download advance of the responsibilities that they will have by the escalation of the confrontation that is being caused by the lack of dialogue, the absence of an output visible and appeals to continue the demonstrations.
While the Government is clear about what he wants, that is the consolidation of the victory of Morales, the views in the opposition on what could resolve the crisis are diverse. Some sectors ask for a second round between the two most voted candidates, Moral, and Table. Other sectors, in contrast, recall that, according to the law, the fraudulent elections have to be aborted and must be convened to other, yes, with a new Electoral Tribunal. The one and the other opponents are hoping that the force of the conflict is finished by pushing Moral power, but this has the full support of the Armed Forces and are willing to defend itself, since he has not hesitated to put its adherents in the streets and roads, despite the risk that this presence generated in these moments. No one seems willing to budge or even negotiate a way out of the impasse in which the country finds itself.
social Fracture
The Peace was added on Monday to the other cities in unemployment. The method used by the opponents to stop the activities at the headquarters of the public authorities has been blocking streets. The fighting took place, especially in the residential areas of middle class that are on the “border” between the city and the countryside. Members of the transportation unions that work communicating both areas, and that are of popular origin and native, tried to break the locks on the paths in which they work. In the neighborhood of Achumani, neighbors resisted and there was a fight uphill with rocks and sticks. In the end, the Police controlled the situation by using tear gas. There were several injuries, though none serious. In contrast, a police officer struck in another region of the country is in a state of coma.
The strike is strongest in the southeast of the country, where the white population is predominant. As illustrated by the case of Peace, the compliance of the protest is more difficult in the cities of the northwest, in which the indigenous are a majority. That’s why The Alto, a city adjacent to the seat of Government, historically comprised of rural migrants, was chosen by the government to celebrate their electoral victory.
