In Bolivia DIPD supports a party-to-party cooperation between the Danish Socialist People’s Party (SF) and Bolivian Movimento al Socialismo (MAS) – a hybrid of a political party and a federation of social movements.
Bolivian society has historically been characterized by a tense political climate with a high level of activism and regular demonstrations and protests. This has also been the case since 2006, when Evo Morales was elected president for the first time, and then was re-elected in 2009 on a programme of changing the power balance from the rich lowlands part of the country to the poor highlands part of the country.
Background
In 2006, the Bolivian population for the first time in the country’s history elected an Indigenous, an Aymara Indian, Evo Morales from the Movimento al Soicalismo (MAS) as president. More than 60 percent of the population identify themselves as indigenous.
After taking power MAS clashed with the overthrown political establishment in the constitution-making process, which lead to political confrontation and violence. The MAS government intended to change the power balance in the country from the rich low lands of Bolivia to the highland provinces where the poor, Indian population predominate. Among other things president Morales nationalized the natural gas and oil industries of the country, an act which was reaffirmed in the new constitution. As a response the low lands have fought for increasing autonomy.
The Bolivian society is marked by a tense political climate with a high level of activism and regular demonstrations and protests. Some social movements have demonstrated their discontent with the present government by means of strikes, blockades and demonstrations. These manifestations have a great impact on Bolivian politics. The Tipnis highway project was for example cancelled because of hundreds of indigenous protesters who undertook an exhausting march from the lowlands to the capital. The president Mr. Morales himself a declared environmentalist and an indigenous rights defender was beaten by his own method and was forced to rule out the establishment of the road.
The political system in Bolivia is a multiparty system and President Evo Morales was reelected in 2009 and again in 2014. The local and regional elections were held in 2015, where his party MAS suffered serious setbacks. Evo Morales is, however, still popular among the Bolivians, despite the corruption scandals that his party has been accused of.
