workers shake bolivia
WORKERS, NOVEMBER 2003 ISSUE
The Bolivian people have overthrown the 'butcher' president 'Goni' Gonzalo Sanchez Lozada. He resigned at the end of a month-long struggle which grew in strength despite extensive military suppression which took 77 lives and left over 400 injured.
The president announced his resignation in a TV broadcast on the evening of Friday 17th October in La Paz. The Bolivian Congress will now meet to create a new government. He resigned whilst demonstrations against him filled most of the centre of La Paz and many other cities and towns throughout the country. Demonstrators had blocked roads, and a general strike that began on Monday 13th closed down all activities. Food was running short in the cities.
Having failed to suppress opposition, Goni had offered to withdraw his proposals on Bolivian natural gas which had sparked the protest. His government's plan had been to export gas to the US at a much lower price than the current exports to Brazil and made no provision for setting up gas distribution within Bolivia.
As a last ditch bid to stay in power the president proposed a referendum on the gas project, reform of energy laws and constitutional changes, but the people held firm and demanded his exit. Union leader Jaime Solares expressed the general feeling 'let him not just leave the government but Bolivia as well and may he take the US ambassador with him'.
Hours before the resignation the government fell apart when Goni's main coalition partner, Manfred Reyes Villa, leader of the centre right New Republican Force, called on him to go. Reyes said he asked the president to go to avoid more bloodshed, but was clearly jumping a sinking ship. The government had a very weak mandate with only 22% of the vote and a coalition of opportunists. The main opposition party in congress, Movement for Socialism, is relatively new and has much support amongst indigenous Bolivians.
Although the opposition had started with trade union protests and road blockages by farmers, it grew in extent and breadth. At the demonstrations trade unionists, farmers, miners, teachers, health workers, self-employed producers, neighbourhood organisations, church groups and many others united in their demand that the treacherous government and its butcher president leave. The Bolivian TUC, Central Obrera Boliviana, played a leading role in the struggle.
Last year after mass protests a tax imposed on the orders of the IMF was withdrawn but the government soon attacked again. This time, compromising with a president with peoples' blood on his hands was not an option, the people had learnt from their experience of this government.