Former Bolivian President Evo Morales during his party congress in Cochabamba on Tuesday. Jorge Abrego (EFE)
The Tenth Congress of the Movement for Socialism (MAS), the party that governs Bolivia, took the final step towards resolving divisions that have been simmering for years. The Congress “accepted the self-exclusion” of Luis Arce and David Coquehuanca, President and Vice President of the country, for not attending the meeting that took place in the town of Lauca Ñ in the coca-growing area of the center of the country and has ordered that the Ethics Court of the The party also expels another 20 MPs from the wing linked to the Arce government. In addition, as expected, it has confirmed “Commander” Evo Morales as party leader and presidential candidate for the 2025 elections.
“We continue to make national and international history. “The MAS will revive the revolution to save the country again,” Morales said in his last speech, which was unusually short. The hundreds of participants at the meeting were tired because of the high temperatures at the location in the tropical region of Cochabamba and also because the meetings took place until the early hours of the morning.
The “arcismo” challenged the legitimacy of the Congress before the Constitutional Court. He ordered the suspension a few hours before it was due to end. Morales had previously warned that the government was “maneuvering” within the justice system to prevent the conclave. The former president (2006-2019) also expressed concern on his social networks about an alleged ongoing police operation, which did not take place. “Unfortunately, the government of Lucho and David, worse than the neoliberal governments, wanted to postpone the Congress until the last moment,” Morales said at the end of his speech.
We deeply regret the decision of some brothers to exclude themselves and not take part in the historic 10th Grand Ordinary Congress of the MAS-IPSP in Lauca Ñ. For the first time, we have invited you to take part in a real national gathering of activists who mobilize with conviction… pic.twitter.com/GpGrvHWXAb
— Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) October 4, 2023
On the opening day of the meeting, Tuesday October 3rd, President Arce made a surprise appearance at a farmers’ meeting in La Paz. With the support of his bases, he declared that he would not go to Lauca because the call would involve the various social organizations that support the “political “Instrument” was ignored or degraded. At previous conventions, these organizations, including the powerful single trade union Confederation of Peasant Workers, were each able to accredit hundreds of delegates. At the last meeting, which took place after the adoption of an internal statute that critics see as tailored to Morales, the union centers were only entitled to five delegates per organization, while the representation of the party apparatus increased significantly. For this reason, the social leaders allied with Arce have ignored the Congress and called a “town hall” on October 17, where it is expected that measures similar to those just approved by Evo Morales’ faction will be adopted.
The fight for control by the Bolivian left threatens to exacerbate the politicization and weakness of the justice system and other institutions. The Constitutional Court’s ruling could legally turn congressional resolutions into dead paper. Therefore, despite its meeting, the MAS would not have fulfilled the obligation to renew its board as provided for in the electoral law, which would jeopardize its legal status. A commission of Morales’ lawyers told the press that the Constitutional Court’s ruling was “fraudulent” and assured that it would have no legal impact.
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If the Constitutional Court prevails, as seems more likely, the pressure will shift to the electoral court, in whose hands it will be to set a deadline for the MAS to organize another congress and elect its leadership in a less controversial way, which is almost The task is impossible, or on the other hand the deletion of this acronym, which would have unforeseeable political consequences.
For months it was expected that the fight for “ownership” of the party would be very tough and would primarily be decided in processes of various kinds. Therefore, courts with low credibility will make decisions that will be challenged by other, equally discredited courts, with no clear end in sight.
Although the battle between the two wings of the MAS is becoming increasingly complex and fierce, the bottom line of the question is simple: who, Morales or Arce, will be the candidate of the Bolivian popular and indigenous sector in the 2025 presidential elections? This aspect The division’s personnel was reinforced after the congress, in which hundreds of leaders, dressed in the blue color of the MAS and with the image of Morales on their T-shirts and caps, declared him their “undisputed leader”. At the same time, the farmers Arce met called him “academic,” “student,” and even “South America’s greatest scientist in the field of economics,” to distinguish him from Morales, who only attended high school before starting to farm the property . his father’s.
The praise for the president is linked to the last clash between the two politicians, in which Morales simply described Arce as a “cashier” for the efforts he had made as economy minister. “Call me whatever you want, it’s the results that count,” the president replied. He then pointed out that he was a learned man who would not plot against his former mentor. The emphasis on the president’s academic qualifications is not perceived as a classist insult in the emerging urban sectors of society, which identify with Arce because they see education as a means of social advancement. Morales, who has had unquestionable support in the past, still enjoys strong support from the poorest sections of rural areas.