Despite what the mainstream media headlines would have you believe, a coup is underway in Bolivia.
The United States is currently backing a military coup against Bolivia’s first indigenous president, Evo Morales, who recently won re-election. Bolivia has enjoyed relative calm during the length of Morales’ presidency which began in January 2006. In 2008, Morales expelled the U.S. ambassador and counter-narcotics agents. The two countries have not had an ambassadorial relationship since 2009.
Despite what the mainstream media headlines would have you believe, a military coup is underway in Bolivia. Morales was forced to step down in an attempt to avert further violence and destruction at the ends of the violent right-wing opposition.
Sunday night’s headlines read:
“Bolivian Leader Evo Morales Steps Down”
“Bolivian President Evo Morales steps down following accusations of election fraud“
“President of Bolivia steps down amid allegations of election rigging”
“Bolivia’s Morales resigns amid scathing election report, rising protests”
“Bolivian President Evo Morales resigns amid fraud poll protests”
Nowhere in these headlines do we see the word “coup” or any mention of the history or the violence at the hands of the opposition that includes the burning of a governor’s home, the dragging of a mayor through the streets after her hair was cut off and her body painted red, and most recently the destruction of Evo Morales’ home. Here’s what you need to know:
1. Evo Morales won re-election on October 20th
A Bolivian court gave Morales the “green light” to run for a fourth term as president after opponents said doing so would be unconstitutional. Bolivians went to the polls on October 20, only weeks ago, to select their president. When all was said and done, Morales walked away with 47.1 percent of the vote while his main opponent, who came in second place, had 36.5 percent of the vote. Because Morales secured more than 40 percent and had higher than a 10-point margin over the runner up, in accordance with the rules, a first-round win was declared with no need for a runoff. 2. Reports of election fraud are unfounded
Even before the election was concluded, Mesa declared that he would not accept the results if Morales were declared the winner.
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