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QUICK FACTS: BOLIVIA |
Bolivia After three presidents in a three-year span, Evo Morales was elected president of Bolivia in December 2005, amid social conflict and political uncertainty. Morales' surprisingly large electoral victory and status as the first president of indigenous heritage in the country led him to initiate a process of political "transformation" based on a new constitution. As one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere, Bolivia's attempt to transform its democracy represents one of the most important processes in Latin America today. Though some important steps toward changing power sharing and relations have been made, many challenges remain, including issues of regional autonomy and decentralization, indigenous autonomy, decriminalization of coca leaves, presidential influence on democratic institutions, and government-media relations. In January 2009, the new constitution was approved by a national referendum that yielded a 60 percent vote in its favor. The Carter Center accompanied the process with the deployment of a small mission of short-term observers who monitored the overall transparency, impartiality, and integrity of the process. On December 6, 2009, Bolivia is scheduled to hold elections for President, Vice President, and members of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly, followed by departmental and municipal elections on April 4, 2010. In the process leading up to the elections, the country is creating a new biometric voter registry aimed to increasing security, guaranteeing citizens' rights, and stimulating voters' political participation. In order to continue supporting the democratic transformation process in Bolivia, the Center launched a small observation mission on mid-August 2009 to monitor the voter registration process. With observers from Ecuador, Peru, Germany, Argentina, Nicaragua, Brazil, the United States, Costa Rica, and Portugal, the Carter Center is monitoring the process in all nine Bolivian departments. The observers were accredited by the National Electoral Court on August 19, 2009. Long Term Observer teams have met with civil society groups, domestic observers, government officials, electoral administration officials, and representatives of political parties, and have visited registration centers in all of the departments of Bolivia, including rural districts, isolated areas, special districts and some cities outside of the country.
Conflict-Management Training The Carter Center's goal in Bolivia is to support a democratic transformation process that is peaceful, inclusive, and respectful of human rights. The Center has worked since 2007 to build capacity for conflict management by providing comprehensive training to government officials from different levels of the national administration as well as to sub-national dependencies and other social and political actors. The Carter Center aims to broaden spaces, enhance capacities, and increase political will for dialogue and tolerance at the intermediate level.
In January 2008, The Carter Center signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Institute for Agrarian Reform (INRA) to provide them with technical assistance to establish and strengthen a conflict transformation unit and institutional policies to be applied during their daily activities. Under the agreement, workshops and training in conflict management tools have been given to INRA functionaries in all nine Departments of Bolivia.. The Carter Center has also established cooperative alliances with various social organizations, government, and multilateral agencies and is a founding member of the Community of Practice on Deliberation and Dialogue, which is composed of international and domestic organizations such as the U.N. Development Program (UNDP), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), International IDEA, UNIR Foundation, the Ministry of Social Movements, Fundación Jubileo, Instituto Nacional de Reforma Agraria (INRA), and the Ombudsman's office. On Feb. 21, 2008, The Carter Center and its partners held a major conference with 850 participants, led by conflict transformation specialist John Paul Lederach. Professor Lederach also conducted a two-day training seminar for 150 representatives of civil society organizations and officials of INRA from all nine departments. This activity was then replicated in the eastern Department of Santa Cruz de la Sierra in December 2008. The Carter Center field representative in Bolivia has provided training in conflict management tools under various programs with the mentioned partners to approximately 3,000 participants from different civic organizations, social groups, departmental authorities, and young political leaders across the country. The Carter Center with the National Press Association, the Bolivian Radio Broadcasting Association, and the Association of Journalists of La Paz has conducted a series of seminars for journalists about freedom of the press, professional journalism, and the role of media in the prevention of social conflict. The Carter Center has also begun a nine-month long media project in Bolivia, funded by the European Union. The project involves a series of eight journalist workshops throughout the country on best practices and ethics of journalism, focusing on the three themes of elections, social movements, and land reform. The workshops will be led by international experts and will also include participants from the other Andean countries. Journalists will learn how to report in a more unbiased and constructive manner and how to promote peace and stability and avoid intensifying conflicts through the professional practice of journalism. On May 1 and 2, 2009, President Carter visited Bolivia to follow up on the Center's projects. During his visit, President Carter met with President Evo Morales and members of his Cabinet; the Prefects of Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando, and Tarija; as well as with authorities and staff of the INRA and representatives of social movements, women's organizations, media representatives, and political and social leaders. Promoting the Right of Access to Information Following civil society protests and President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada's resignation in October 2003, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter traveled to La Paz in December 2003. President Carter met with then President Carlos Mesa, representatives of the main political parties, and civil society leaders to explore issues affecting Bolivian democracy and to discuss ways to collaborate with the Center's access to information initiative. At all the meetings, participants stressed that access to information was a priority in Bolivia as a means to further social inclusion and support development initiatives and was a fundamental human right. In a speech to the joint session of Congress at the year-end closing, President Carter said, "You have enjoyed democracy with its benefits and its faults for more than two decades, and you have demonstrated that even in times of greatest conflict, democracy is your preferred method to resolve problems. But now you face a crossroads in your journey, and only you can choose the path you will follow. Will it be a new Bolivia, unshackled from the constraints of the past or a Bolivia still trapped by social and economic divisions? "We have seen in other countries how lawmakers and civil society have re-established broken relationships as they drafted and implemented this [access to information] law, and we are looking forward to seeing the same in Bolivia. In collaboration with government and civil society, we will remain engaged after the law is passed to support its full implementation and effective enforcement. The Carter Center looks forward to working with Bolivia on this important initiative and to witnessing the flourishing of rights, responsibilities, and democracy." A free flow of information can serve to underpin the democratic transformation and help advance citizen participation, development, and socio-economic rights. The Carter Center has worked in Bolivia since 2003 to support the establishment of an access to information culture. The Center has collaborated with the government to increase its capacity by providing expertise on archiving and records management best practices and by training of civil servants on access to information. The Center supported the establishment and implementation of a voluntary openness strategy, piloted by select ministries and agencies, which allowed the government to demonstrate their commitment to transparency more immediately and to learn valuable lessons to be applied once the comprehensive law is passed.
17 September 2009: Carter Center Continues Observation of Bolivia's Biometric Census Registration Process (English and Spanish) August 26, 2009: Carter Center Launches Voter Registration Observation Mission to Bolivia Jan. 27, 2009: Carter Center Congratulates Bolivia on Peaceful Referendum; Urges Progress to Continue Jan. 21, 2009: Carter Center Sends Political Mission To Observe Bolivia's Constitutional Referendum
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