Bolivia Faces a Double Battle
Bolivians were called to the polls on May 3 to end the crisis unleashed by the tumultuous general elections of last October. But the coronavirus arrived and forced the date to be postponed. Bolivia is not the only country that has been forced to postpone its presidential elections due to the pandemic, but it arrives at this situation in complicated circumstances. The country is currently led by an unelected government that maintains a problematic flirtation with authoritarianism, and interim President Jeanine Áñez has taken illegitimate measures such as issuing “emergency” decrees designed to promote the use of genetically modified crops. Áñez came to power with two main tasks: calling for new elections and unifying a country dangerously divided by race and ideology. Violence and confrontation in Bolivia require an urgent democratic election, yet the health of Bolivians is crying out for them to stay home and take care of themselves.
Repression on behalf of the coronavirus
Supporters of the Movement for Socialism Party (MAS) accuse the transitional government of political persecution and feel that the oppression has intensified with the arrival of the coronavirus. Since the quarantine was decreed, they have denounced selective repression of opponents while pointing to arbitrary raids and arrests, obstacles to humanitarian deliveries of food to municipalities controlled by indigenous coca grower unions, and attacks on freedom of expression. From exile, Evo Morales, the predecessor president, accuses Añez of using the pandemic to cling to power. "The coronavirus came as a ring on the finger for the Right so that it can postpone the elections," said Morales on April 20 in Buenos Aires. Morales has also been accused of fraud in the past elections. While Añez announced her presidential candidacy in January this year, current journalists and politicians such as former President Carlos Mesa, do not believe that the former senator intends to pacify the country, but rather to continue with a more conservative and deeply Christian form of authoritarianism and corruption.
Lack of legitimacy
Legitimacy is Añez's biggest problem. Before taking the reins of the country, the former senator lacked a prominent political profile. This led her to seek legitimacy through fear and the evocation of a greater good that justifies drastic measures. "It can only offer discipline and punitive action because a concrete strategy in the face of the health crisis is not seen," argues political scientist Marcelo Arequipa. It is alarming that the so-called "securitization" of the health crisis is through the strong involvement of the army and the police in the form of arrests of people who live from day to day work and do not have the resources to support themselves during this crisis. With just over eleven thousand cases of currently confirmed coronavirus infections in the country, the majority of Bolivians request that instead of taking militarization measures, Añez should equip the country with respirators to combat the pandemic and face this health crisis since Bolivia has a very fragile health system.
Uncertain future
Added to a political and social crisis, the economic consequences of the coronavirus have the potential to be devastating for an unstable Bolivia. The only thing that could lessen this crisis would be large-scale political pacts. But with deep racism and an increasingly divided ideological environment, multilateral cooperation for the good of the country borders on utopia. Trying to mitigate polarization will be a great challenge for the next president. The tricks of the Morales and Añez governments, leaving the war open between left and right, have dragged Bolivia into a deep crisis of political representation. The outlook for the winner of the extraordinary elections will be a dangerous mix of political disenchantment, social division, and economic unrest. To avoid dramatic scenes like the violent protests which caused the death of many protesters last year, Bolivian political society will have to reinvent itself and focus first on controlling the spread of COVID-19.
All English translations in this article are by the author.
Banner image courtesy of Changste Quintanilla.