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Shortly after the return of former president Evo Morales to Bolivia earlier this month after a year of exile, to which he was pushed by pressure from the military, the division of labor between the head of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) and the new The president of the country, Luis Arce, has been defined. But coexistence will not be easy. The Dauphin, who won the elections on October 18 that concluded the interim government of Jeanine Áñez with great advantage, will be in charge of managing the resources and personnel of the state, while Morales will “lead” the parliamentary brigade of the party he founded. , which has an absolute majority in both Houses of the Legislative Assembly, according to MAS sources. He will continue as the party’s “campaign manager” ahead of the municipal elections in March 2021. The two leaders will have different but related functions, which in itself is fertile ground for future clashes. The first frictions have already occurred.
President Arce, for example, did not mention Evo Morales in his inauguration speech on November 8, giving rise to internal speculation of all kinds. Nor did he participate days later in the large demonstration at Chimoré airport that celebrated the return of the former president to that place, located in the area of the country where coca is grown, a year after a plane took him away from there. for exile.
In public, Morales wore cold cloths and justified the president’s absence. However, at the same time she revealed what she was talking about with him: “This morning I spoke with Lucho [Luis Arce]He called me at 1:00 am … I hope he can arrive, but he’s in the process of organizing the state. This morning we talked again, internally we had]debates, so as not to make mistakes in appointing the authorities, “he said, insinuating that he had participated in a dynamic, that of” appointments “, which defines the amount of power one has.
But how far are these gestures? A MAS source who does not want to be identified comments that Morales has insisted on Arce not to fire his three government collaborators from high positions, contrary to what the president and vice president, David Choquehuanca, had promised in the campaign. This veto seems to Morales an implicit censorship of his management, and also of his policy of constant re-election of a layer of leftist leaders, including himself. To support him, one of his former ministers, Carlos Romero, said: “The duo won the presidency and vice presidency of the state thanks to their own merit, but the political-strategic direction of the process is Evo Morales”.
Arce, who assured in the campaign that Morales would not participate in his government, appointed a team of young ministers with a technical profile within the MAS. The Cabinet reflects its character as a member of the popular middle class with a university education that supports the left party. Another internal source assured EL PAÍS that the only minister chosen by Arce to ingratiate himself with Evo Morales was the defense, Edmundo Novillo, a member of the “old guard” of the formation. Novillo was not part of the Executive before, so Arce, by appointing him, did not break his electoral promise. He will be responsible for the delicate mission of rebuilding relations with the Armed Forces, which played a decisive role in the overthrow of the MAS in 2019.
“Take care of Lucho”
It is not known what reaction the indigenous leader had to the decision to form a cabinet “without repetitions”, with the exception of Novillo. Most of the ministers are close to the president, but at the same time they are seen by the new generations. Since the appointments made so far have caused annoyance to the social organizations that make up the MAS, whose mobilization explains much of this party’s electoral victories, Morales has specifically asked them to support and “take care of Lucho”. For his part, Arce said through social media that he applauded the welcome meeting that took place in Chimoré. “From the great house of the people [la oficina presidencial] We accompany this exciting meeting by working together to rebuild Bolivia, ”he wrote.
The sources consulted believe that the main tension will be between Morales and Choquehuanca, also indigenous, who in the past had friction with the head of his party and who in his oath speech seemed to criticize him – “Power must circulate as much as blood “, he has declared. Choquehuanca’s followers have not reached many positions in the government, but they already appear in the immediately lower positions. Both leaders come from the Aymara people, but Morales is considered stronger in the Quechua area.
Morales has almost never been able to avoid making public confidences. He pointed the finger at the President of the Electoral Tribunal, Salvador Romero, for allegedly “hiding” the results of the October 18 election late into the night, and said he hopes to “free” all the leaders and militants of the MAS cited in judgment from Áñez, which has generated criticism from the opposition. Arce already said before taking office that Morales “won’t change”. “And we don’t even want it to change. It will be so, ”he added.
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