In the spotlight: violence in Bolivia against a backdrop of political conflict
Shopkeepers and opposition groups demonstrate against Bolivian President Luis Arce and a new law being debated in parliament that they say would allow the government to investigate the assets of any citizen without a court ruling, in La Paz on the 8th. November 2021. AFP - LUIS GANDARILLAS
Text by: Stefanie Schüler Follow
4 min
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Since Monday, the Bolivian opposition has been on an indefinite general strike.
The reason, a law on informal trade on which many Bolivians live.
The government accuses the opposition of using this law as a pretext to politically destabilize the country.
And this situation is likely to become even more strained today. Since “
the opposition has issued an ultimatum to the head of state
”. headline
El Deber
this morning. “
Several civil sectors and opposition unions have given Luis Arce 24 hours to withdraw the controversial law on informal trade. But the president does not intend to give in, ”
continues the daily. "On
the contrary, he calls on his base to mobilize against the strikers
.
"
And proof that the Head of State wants to be determined: “
Yesterday he promoted three new commanders of the Bolivian police and asked them publicly to defend democracy against what Luis Arce describes as“ seditious actions
”, reports
La Razon
.
Correo del Sur
newspaper
warns of dangerous escalation: "
The law must be revised to reach an inclusive agreement
.
"
The columnist regrets that "
no dialogue is in sight while the two camps harden the tone.
The collateral victims of this umpteenth political conflict will be the Bolivians
”
.
Nicaragua: what reaction from the OAE after the elections
The Organization of American States has held its Annual General Meeting since yesterday. At the top of the agenda: the situation in Nicaragua after the elections last Sunday. Eight OAS member countries introduced a resolution yesterday. They recall that these polls "
were neither free, nor fair, nor transparent and lack democratic legitimacy
".
According to
La Prensa
, the text asks the Permanent Council of the organization to make an “
immediate assessment of these elections in Nicaragua. This assessment must be completed by November 30 at the latest. The OAS must then take the appropriate measures
”. The resolution will be put to a vote on Thursday or tomorrow, Friday. And "
its adoption is hardly in doubt
", estimates the newspaper.
If the OAS officially comes to the conclusion that Daniel Ortega's government is breaking the democratic order, it could activate Article 21 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter and suspend Nicaragua. There is an emergency, warn human rights defenders. “
Because since the re-election of President Ortega, the repression has worsened,
” reports the
Confidencial
news site
. And besides today we learn of the death of the "
first political prisoner of the Sandinista regime
", headlines
La Nacion
: "
Santos Sebastián Flores Castillo died in a maximum security prison in Nicaragua where he spent more than eight years behind bars.
He was arrested after accusing Daniel Ortega of raping his 15-year-old sister who had become pregnant
”.
Peru: presidential plane for sale
The Peruvian head of state announced yesterday that he was going to put the presidential plane up for sale. With the money from this sale, Pedro Castillo intends to finance the health and education sectors which have been strained by the Covid-19 pandemic. "
It's a nice announcement
", recognizes
El Commercio
, but the daily specifies that Pedro Castillo is not the first to want to sell the plane which is used to transport the president. One of his predecessors, Alan García, had already tried it. Ditto for Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador and Ecuadorian Heads of State Guillermo Lasso and his predecessor Lenin Moreno.
So the idea is really not new.
As early as 2000, then Argentine President Fernando de la Rúa sought to sell the Tango 01 aircraft acquired under the government of Carlos Menem.
There is no shortage of attempts, notes
El Commercio
before concluding: "The
only thing is
: none of these planes has found a buyer
".
In the United States, the victims of contaminated water in the town of Flint will finally be able to be compensated.
"
A Michigan court has approved the payment of $ 626 million in one of the biggest health scandals in the country,
" announces the
Washington Post
. "
Most of this amount will be paid by the State of Michigan,
" reports
USA Today
. "
And above all, it will be
Flint's at least
20,000
poisoned children who will benefit
."
The
Bridge Michigan
news site
recalls that the tragedy was caused because the then Republican governor decided in 2014 to change the city's water supply source to save money.
Pure water from the nearby lake had been exchanged for polluted water from the local river.
It had gnawed the distribution system pipes and exposed the people of Flint to toxic levels of lead.
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