Second round on demand: how the protests in Bolivia after the presidential election can affect the situation in the country

The United States, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia believe that the Bolivian government should “restore confidence” in its electoral system. This is stated in a statement published on the website of the Colombian Foreign Ministry after the announcement of the results of the presidential election in Bolivia, which won the incumbent head of state, Evo Morales. This is stated in a joint statement,

As noted in the document, if the bodies of the Organization of American States (OAS) cannot verify the results of the first round of elections held on October 20, a second round should be held in the country.

“If the observer mission is not able to verify the results of the first round, we will appeal to the Bolivian government to restore confidence in their electoral system by declaring a second round of elections that is free, fair and transparent and in which the two candidates who won the most Number of votes. Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and the United States, together with the international democratic community, recognize only those results that truly reflect the will of the Bolivian people, ”the statement said.

A similar point of view is shared in the European Union. On October 24, a statement was published on the EU Foreign Service website calling on the Bolivian authorities to “clarify” the vote counting process. The best option for this is the second round. Similar calls were made by Brazil and the Organization of American States (OAS).

I'm deeply concerned about Bolivia's steady descent into authoritarianism under Evo Morales. I hope other nations in our hemisphere will work with the Trump Administration to safeguard the will of Bolivian voters and the democratic process.

Third term

Meanwhile, Bolivia itself has already summed up the election results. According to the final results, which were announced on October 24 by the country's Supreme Election Court, Evo Morales won 47.07% of the vote, and his main rival, Carlos Mesa, won 36.51%. According to Bolivian law, this is enough to recognize the victory of Morales in the first round.

The election results have already been recognized by Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela. Morales himself declared his victory.

• Evo Morales
• Reuters
• © David Mercado

The opposition demanded a recount and brought people to the streets. The demonstrators supported Mesa. In some places, the rallies turned into riots, protesters set fire to the regional branches of the election court. At least eight victims are already known.

On October 23, Morales imposed a state of emergency in the country, accusing the opposition of trying to arrange a coup with support from abroad. He did not specify which countries in question. However, Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, speaking at the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Baku, accused of inciting US protests.

US Embassy in Bolivia continues its covert actions to support coup d'etat. Another case of interference and imperial threat to destabilize a process led by Evo that has dignified the Bolivian people. # YanquisFueraDeBoliviahttps: //t.co/O0hFx3E5xi

At a press conference on October 24, Morales called Carlos Mesa a criminal and called on the citizens of the country to calm. However, he said that he was not against an independent verification of the voting results. His supporters, in response to opposition actions, held peaceful demonstrations.

Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Alexander Chichin, in an interview with RT, compared the US approach to protests in Bolivia with what was happening in Venezuela. At the same time, he noted that the victory of Morales is absolutely legal.

“According to the laws of Bolivia, if the gap between the winner of the first round and the second candidate is more than 10%, and the winner of the first round received more than 40% of the vote, then this person is considered the winner in the presidential election. On this basis, Morales should be elected for a third term, ”he said.

The expert stressed that the OAS, cited by the United States and its allies, as an organization headquartered in Washington, is biased towards countries that pursue a policy independent of the United States. This was shown by the position of the organization in relation to Venezuela.

In turn, the general director of the Latin American Center named after Hugo Chavez, Yegor Lidovskaya, said in an interview with RT that the victory of Morales was predictable, since he is consistently very popular in the country.

According to him, the so-called "anomalies" that the United States and its allies point to can be easily explained. At the end of the vote count, there was an increase in Morales’s margin from the second candidate, since ballots received from inaccessible rural areas were considered the last. It was there, among the poor and Indians, that Morales’s position was especially strong.

Boris Martynov, Head of the Department of International Relations and Foreign Policy of Russia, MGIMO, told RT that the elections in Bolivia were held in accordance with the provisions of the country's constitution.

“The West actively advocates full and clear observance of constitutional norms and rules only when it is beneficial to it. And when it’s not profitable for him, he speaks from absolutely illegal positions, ”he said.

Battle of the Presidents

Evo Morales first became president in 2005, after which he won the election two more times. During his tenure in power, he proved to be a defender of the interests of indigenous peoples, who constitute the majority in Bolivia. Morales has succeeded in reducing illiteracy and improving the socio-economic situation of the Bolivians, as well as significant economic growth.

Under him, Bolivia joined the union of Latin American countries and the Caribbean - the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), founded by the governments of the socialist Cuba and Venezuela in 2004. The country is actively developing ties with China and Russia. In July 2019, Morales visited Russia, where he met with President Vladimir Putin. The leaders, in particular, discussed issues of interaction in the energy and military-technical spheres.

In Bolivia, there are such Russian companies as Gazprom and Rosatom. During a visit to Moscow, Morales noted that Russia and Bolivia are interested in the joint production of lithium, the rare earth metal used in electronics.

Opponent of Morales Carlos Mesa already served as president in 2003-2005. He was remembered for having resigned three times amid mass protests over the government’s refusal to nationalize gas and oil fields. Then Mesa was accused of promoting the interests of American companies.

Subsequently, already under Morales, he was the representative of Bolivia in a dispute with Chile at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, seeking to restore the country's access to the Pacific Ocean, which Bolivia had lost in the late XIX - early XX centuries. Mesa did not achieve positive results in this field.

• Carlos Mesa
• Reuters
• © David Mercado

The politician is now a member of the Washington-based non-governmental organization Inter-American Dialogue, which is led by Michael Shifter, former program manager for Latin American programs at the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

In an interview with representatives of another American non-profit organization, Global Americans, Mesa said in July 2019 that he intends to “normalize” relations with the United States as president, without breaking with Russia and China.

According to Chichin, the United States would be profitable to change Morales at the head of Bolivia to a more convenient president. According to him, Washington is interested in the natural resources that Bolivia is rich in.

At the same time, Martynov believes that with a hypothetical change in the leadership of Bolivia, Russia's interests are unlikely to suffer, as our country's relations with Argentina and Brazil did not suffer after the right-wing and friendly US governments came to power there.

“Now, unlike the times of the USSR, Russia does not conclude ideological alliances, but agreements based on the principle of mutual benefit. All contracts are beneficial to the Bolivian side, ”the expert notes.

“I am sure that I am right”

According to Chichin, despite pressure from abroad and protests in the streets, there are no grounds for revising the election results in Bolivia.

“If we manage to organize something like a second round, then we’ll turn on all the mechanisms to gather some kind of coalition around the opposition candidate and get the majority of votes,” the expert notes. “But I think that Morales won’t do it because he’s sure that he’s right.” By all rules, he should become president. ”

Martynov, in turn, noted that it is now difficult to predict how the internal political situation in Bolivia will develop. Much, he said, will depend on the situation in the regions.

“Bolivia is a somewhat divided country. The separatist tendencies used by the USA and Western countries are being traced, ”he said.

In addition, the political scientist emphasized, the possibility of “adventurous steps” on the part of the American leadership cannot be ruled out.

“The United States is conducting rear-guard battles in Latin America, they are losing control, the situation in Venezuela is stalemate, they have not achieved their goal,” Martynov explained. “Now the United States is reminiscent of Ancient Rome in an era of decline, so unexpected action can be expected from them.”

A similar point of view is shared by Lidovskaya.

“The US felt that they are now losing ground in Latin America, that more and more countries and peoples are negative about the policies that they pursue and impose. And since they need to maintain positions in their “backyard”, these protests were organized in Bolivia, ”the expert concluded.