Bolivian President “Resigns” As Protests Strain Capital

Dynamite blasts were met with volleys of tear gas throughout the day Tuesday, as clashes between the military and Bolivia’s social movements entered their fourth week. Columns of indigenous activists, workers, students and farmers flooded central La Paz, calling for the nationalization of natural resources and a Constituent Assembly that would draft a new Bolivian constitution.

Punctuating the dissent of the majority poor, mine workers detonated dynamite and sought to advance on the Government Palace, only to be turned back by the military’s tear gas, closing businesses and sending protesters running into La Paz’s hills. Trash piles were set aflame at intersections, while street vendors turned to selling cloth that those fleeing used to cover their faces.

“We want our oil and gas nationalized, so that our children can have them one day,” demanded Japth Mamani Yanolico, an indigenous leader from the Omasuyos Province near Lake Titicaca. “And we want a Constituent Assembly.”

The tens of thousands of protesters, seemingly unphased by President Carlos Mesa`s Monday night resignation, say they plan to amplify the protests until their demands are met. Many come from the high mountain plain known as the Altiplano, while others live in El Alto, a city of 500,000 that sits above La Paz. Accusing the nation’s leaders of selling out the country’s oil and gas wealth to international corporations, demonstrators also point their fingers at the International Monetary Fund, which has pressured Bolivia to adopt economic reforms that disadvantage those in poverty since 1985.

Though there are some reports of injuries, both the armed forces and protesters have used considerable restraint, avoiding the 2003 bloodbath in which 67 demonstrators were killed, leading to President Mesa´s predecessor, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada’s untimely departure. Many in the streets, however, speculate that the relative state of non-violence cannot hold for long.

“Everyone’s out in the street protesting. It’s annoying, but the only way you can get your way in Bolivia is by kicking and screaming,” explained Kathryn Ledebur, Director of Andean Information Network. “You can’t work through the process to get your legislation passed. This is the way people get things done here.”

In Monday night’s televised address, a somber President Mesa declared, “This is as far as I go... I have decided to present my resignation as President of the republic.”

But Mesa’s resignation was qualified by a pledge to remain in office “until Congress makes a decision about the future of the country.” Viewed by demonstrators as a stunt to rally support behind the president, Mesa’s stepping down is a replication of his March resignation, which was rejected by the Bolivian Congress.

Mesa’s constitutional successor, Senate President Hormando Vaca Diez, is considerably more conservative, and his ascension to the presidency will merely inflame dissent. Vaca Diez maintains strong ties to separatist business interests in the eastern Bolivian state of Santa Cruz, and supports their efforts to consolidate regional control of royalties and taxes from the nation’s rich oil and gas reserves.

Evo Morales, opposition leader and member of the Congress, urged both Vaca Diez and the head of the Congress´s lower chamber to follow Mesa’s lead and resign from their posts. Morales, who placed second to Lozada in the 2002 presidential election, called Monday for both early elections and a Constituent Assembly. Morales remains a leading contender for the presidency, and his party, Movement Towards Socialism, is poised to make major gains in the Congress.

After Mesa´s resignation, Vaca Diez said that early elections may be inevitable, conceding that the proposal “is gaining force in the country.”

For now, the country remains at a standstill, with 61 roads blockaded and all entrances to the capital sealed off. La Paz’s airport has resumed operation, but outbound flights are full and incoming planes are devoid of passengers. The road connecting the airport to La Paz is awash with stones and human blockades, the only access being by foot or bicycle. Gasoline, food and water are become scarce, and prices of basic commodities have started to edge up.

Unless the Bolivian Congress responds favorably to the demands of those in the streets, there is little hope for a peaceful resolution of the current crisis.