French Press Review Podcast Podcast

In Focus: Bolivia in the unknown

" First, the victorious slogans: 'We succeeded, we took it out'. Followed quickly, a call to keep a cool head: 'The general strike continues'. After the euphoria of President Evo Morales' resignation on Sunday , Le Figaro reports that protesters who have been blockading Bolivian roads for almost three weeks to contest the October 20 elections are now immersed the country, in anxious expectancy. Bolivia is in an unprecedented state of confusion , still points Le Figaro , after Evo Morales, who has been in power for thirteen years and re-elected for a fourth term in a disputed poll, has announced that he is giving up the presidency, on television, Sunday . "

" The 'wiphala' no longer floats on official buildings in Bolivia, says Libération. This multicolored flag of the Andean indigenous peoples, symbol of the country's multiethnic composition, was the emblem of Evo Morales since his political rise in 2005. On Sunday, in the wake of the forced resignation of the President, released by the army, the banner was unhooked (...). This symbolic gesture marks the end of an era, the newspaper points out. Nearly fourteen years of rule for Evo Morales, the first indigenous president of the country, elected under the banner of the Movement to Socialism, with the promise of fighting against poverty, defending indigenous rights and Pachamama (+ Mother Earth +) . A heroic reformer for his supporters, a radical autocrat for his detractors, Morales hoped to capitalize on his good social and economic record to keep himself five years in power. But he had obviously underestimated the extent of the distrust caused by his authoritarian drift. In 2016, reminds Libération, the Bolivian president had indeed lost a constitutional referendum supposed to allow him to represent himself indefinitely. By appealing to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, he had obtained the right to represent himself in the name of 'human rights'. This first democratic sprain had galvanized the opposition. And the unexpected interruption, by the same court, projections of the results of the presidential election of October 20, while a second round between Evo Morales and rival Carlos Mesa seemed to be profiled, set fire to the powders, triggering three weeks fiercely contested. "

Who will take the reins of power?

So what will happen now in Bolivia? For now, it's the leap into the unknown ... " Who is today at the head of the Andean country? "Asks La Croix. Well nobody ... " Following the resignation of Evo Morales and that of his vice-president, the power should go back to the president of the Senate, then to the president of the Chamber of Deputies. But they have abandoned their posts, says La Croix, placing the country in a situation of vacancy of power, pending a vote in the Assembly. The urgency is even greater than the resignation of Evo Morales has not calmed the spirits. (...) 'We must quickly find a peaceful solution to this crisis, with the appointment of an interim power and the convening of new elections' , said Ana Maria Quevedo, International Network of Bolivians Abroad. It is already necessary that the resignation of Evo Morales be confirmed in writing, and accepted within forty-eight hours by the Assembly, as the Constitution requires. "

That night, it was learned that Evo Morales had arrived in Mexico, where he was granted asylum. And it is the second vice-president of the Senate, Jeanine Añez, who has claimed the interim presidency. She says elections could be held as early as January.

Turkey puts its threats into execution

European jihadists have been or will be expelled from the country. Eleven French, including a majority of women, are on the list of foreign fighters that Ankara wants to return in consultation with their countries. They could arrive in France in the next few days, in the context, says Le Figaro , " the procedure Cazeneuve, the name of the former Minister of the Interior ." That is to say that " French police will be sent on the spot to repatriate the alleged members of Daesh" and thus ensure their immediate judicial responsibility upon their arrival on our territory, "said a source at the French Ministry of Justice. Interior, adding that 'this coordination with Turkey is working and remains valid'. "

In any case, points La Charente Libre , " the drop of Erdogan with his foreign prisoners dryly revives the headache of the penal treatment of French 'revenants' of Islamist jihad. Some have been tried in France, others in Iraq and the fate of those 'under the protection of the Kurds' in Syria, dixit Florence Parly, remains in the fog. "

Moreover, the Union complements, " the issue of the return of IS fighters, their placement in detention and their judgment is a sensitive subject, at the level of public opinion and prison logistics. Whether they are in the wild in Syria, captured or repatriated, these last-minute fighters, their wives, their children represent a threat. "

Indeed, deplores La Montagne , " the Europeans, including France, have taken the immense risk of allowing these embarrassing nationals linked to Daesh to become a bargaining chip and a means of pressure in this highly volatile area. Vertiginous shock of dates. Tomorrow Wednesday, the paper says, it will be four years for the Bataclan, one of the culminating points of a destructive ideology, now able to reborn from this chaos . "

Millions of jobs, but not all filled ...

Finally, good news on the front of employment: recruitment is good in France. This is the Parisian One .

" Will 2020 be the year of declining unemployment? Yes, according to the second edition of the Adecco barometer (the world leader in temporary work). According to this study, says Le Parisien, more than 3 million 600,000 hires should take place by next June. (...) A positive outlook even if there is a high risk of job shortages. One company out of two judges indeed difficult recruitments. "

Paradoxically, stresses Le Parisien : " Companies announce hiring by the millions, the positions are open, but not all are filled and unemployment is declining at a rate much too slow. This breach of the law of the market the supply and demand both high that never meet is the sign, the newspaper estimates, of a system of education and training totally disoriented. A system where the most sought-after trades (catering, logistics, construction) continue to be abused and devalued by the school system. A system where nothing is done to make these rugged professions attractive . "