Bolivians head to the polls on Sunday amid a spiraling economic crisis and the total collapse of the Movement Toward Socialism. A right-wing victory could bring neoliberal austerity back to Bolivia, unleashing a new cycle of social unrest.
As Bolivia celebrated its two hundredth year of independence last week, the mood on the streets and in the countryside was far from jubilant.
National elections take place on Sunday, and Bolivia is confronting a spiraling economic crisis and the total collapse of the left-wing Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) that has been in power for the past two decades.
It looks more than likely that the right wing will win power, with the latest polls putting far-right Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga in the lead at 24.5 percent and center-right Samuel Doria Medina in a close second at 23.6 percent. Bolivia now stands on the brink of a new historic cycle without the MAS in power.
The Collapse of the Left
On a dusty roadside in the windswept Altiplano village of Sullkatiti, two Aymara elders discuss the recent road blockades led by supporters of former president Evo Morales. The conversation switches to Spanish, and we all discuss the upcoming elections. “I used to like Evo, but these blockades are very bad. Who can we vote for here?” the woman asks despondently.
The MAS, led by Morales since 2005, presided over massive social transformations, including the newfound political visibility of Bolivia’s indigenous movements and a dramatic reduction in poverty and social inequality in one of Latin America’s poorest countries. But in recent years, charges of corruption and the cooptation of social movements have blighted…
Auteur: Olivia Arigho-Stiles
