Evo promised to defeat neoliberalism and the IMF …

From El Alto

The Ceja is the nerve center of El Alto, the youngest city in Bolivia. This was the epicenter of the so-called 2003 gas war, which resulted in repression and death. Because of its symbolic weight, Evo Morales always chooses this place to close its campaigns. This is not an exception this time around, when he is going for his fourth term. A 4,090 meters above sea level, the president summoned a crowd who listened one by one to the exploits of his government. The five thousand kilometers of roads built. The cable car system that changed the face of La Paz. The nationalization of hydrocarbons. The projected industrialization from a key input: lithium (the world's largest reserve is found in the Uyuni salt plain, the largest in the world on nearly 10,000 km 2). The MAS leader highlighted the most visible progress of his administration, but also severely criticized a disjointed opposition.

"We are convinced that during these elections, we will give them a new beat the sellersto the neoliberals to whom they privatized our natural resources, "he said. Bolivia has its program for its bicentenary (2025), debated with social movements and the contribution of businessmen, intellectuals and professionals; we do not import the policies of International Monetary Fund (…), we freed ourselves thanks to the conscience and the vote of the people, we returned to our homeland. "

He did it as he intended: in direct contact with his people, but not only in La Ceja where he raised a huge mass of metal, a statue that paid tribute to the Che Guevara. He made an election trip that led him through the nine departments of Bolivia, including cities hostile to his government, such as Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Evo has shown himself as he has done in the Bolivian district that has experienced the highest population growth. El Alto is the second city behind Santa Cruz; also the gateway to Bolivia from its main airport. It is almost inevitable to experience some hot flash as soon as the plane lands at this location. The lack of oxygen will be quieted over the hours thanks to several coca teas.

Meanwhile, Evo was in full development of his speech. I played at home even though it does not seem so much. In El Alto governs a mayor of the opposition: Soledad Chapetón, national unity, strength of the entrepreneurial policy Samuel Doria Medina. In this district founded on March 6, 1985, Morales was reinforced as perceived by the polls. Beyond that, it will be the most difficult choice in which he participated: in 2005, he won 54% of the vote, in 2009 of 64.22 and in 2014 of 61.36%.

The MAS colors, blue and black, standardized the environment of the box elevated to La Ceja where the president closed his campaign. A group of Sikuris contributed their musical contribution and another group of tinku dancers (a traditional potosian rhythm) gave a festive atmosphere to the meeting. Just Tinku, in Quechua, means that: encounter.

Evo danced on stage with the candidate for the deputation of his party Bertha Acarapi, a young woman who graduated in social work and worked in the media. He is usually dressed in cholita with his colorful skirts and is a reference to El Alto. There was also Valeria Silva, from Generación Evo, a young MP who defines the president with these words: "An Evo Morales is not born every day. It is he who has placed Bolivia among the leading economic growth posts in the region in recent years. It was he who guaranteed the participation of women in political life with mandatory parity, it is he who nationalized natural resources.

In both El Alto and La Paz, the main opposition candidate, Carlos Mesa, is reminded by graffiti or improvised posters of his role in the October massacre, which left more than 70 people dead in El Alto in 2003 during the so-called war. Gas The former vice president of Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada is identical to what happened under the Bolivian government when he escaped to the United States. He left a country in flames and is now in the winding streets descending from El Alto to La Paz, where a very small relief is obtained down to 3,640 meters. A high percentage of the Bolivian population is concentrated between these two cities almost glued to each other. Mesa defends himself against the accusations as he did in his book Besieged the Presidency, which are his memoirs as the first president.

The campaigns were closed Wednesday. The main rivals of Evo did it in Santa Cruz. Mesa, Oscar Ortiz from Bolivia says No and Chi Hyun Chung, a Korean-Bolivian evangelical pastor compared in the country to Jair Bolsonaro's political style. In addition to its presidential formula, Bolivia will elect Alvaro García Linera, 130 deputies from the Plurinational State and 36 senators at a rate of four for each of the nine departments. Eleven thousand members of the armed forces will watch the elections and vote 7,315,364 voters.

[email protected]