In La Paz, nothing remains of Evo Morales. Except for the concrete tower which crushes with its 29 floors the baroque buildings of the historic center of the Bolivian capital. The former populist leader had this horror built to house the presidency of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, with a 1,200 m2 staff apartment, spa and heliport. Last weekend, the Bolivians chose to install a Christian Democratic senator there who promises budgetary rigor and “capitalism for all”.
A new president, son of a former president. After a quarter of a century of unchallenged reign of the radical left, the election of Rodrigo Paz is revenge. It sanctions disastrous management. In particular the fall in gas production due to lack of investment, even though it is the country’s wealth, with its lithium reserves. This bankruptcy evokes Venezuela, the only oil emirate where gasoline is rationed. In La Paz too, it takes two days of queuing at the gas station to hope to fill up…
Inflation is galloping, life is unaffordable, bureaucracy is overwhelming. Right-wing parties already controlled 90% of Parliament and 100% of the Senate. The presidential election confirms the rejection. After Ecuador, which elected the country’s richest heir, and Argentina, which gave itself to Javier Milei, the Latino right seems boosted by the return of Donald Trump. The next meetings in Chile, Colombia and Peru will tell whether it is a reconquista. But in Bolivia, the change is first and foremost the funeral of Evo Morales.
Earthquake His life is an epic. When he appeared on the world stage in the early 2000s, he was a union leader representing coca planters and the rights of indigenous peoples. Obviously, he slays Yankee imperialism. Familiar air. But above all he is the defender of Native Americans, of their traditional way of life, of an ecological balance. He was born in poverty, on the Altiplano. Four of his brothers died at a young age due to lack of care. He is a populist leader, dubbed by Castro, Chavez, Lula.
Bolivarians suspected Morales of becoming an autocrat; he proved them right
His election is an earthquake. Four years later, he was triumphantly re-elected. Then a third time, by twisting the Constitution. And even a fourth time, although he lost a referendum to authorize him to run again. The Bolivarians said no, they suspected him of becoming an autocrat. He proved them right: he ignored it. The army, the police, the union, which is a state within a state, blocked his path. Bolivia remains the world champion country for coups. Planetary icon Evo Morales has been adored.
It would have reduced poverty by half and the number of illiterates too. He was a global icon. Gave a standing ovation at COP 15 in Copenhagen, when he proposed a global referendum for the establishment of a climate court. Santo Subito! A martyr too, when his plane forced to land in Vienna is searched, the Americans thinking they would find Edward Snowden on the run. Today, Evo Morales lives recluse in his stronghold.
The Chapare province is the tropical forest where the Andes and the Amazon meet in the rain. The courts issued him with an arrest warrant for embezzlement of a minor. She won’t go looking for him. It would take a commando operation which would be risky, because he lives under the protection of the cocaleros, those who grow coca. Like Conrad’s character, Evo Morales fell into the heart of darkness. The Bolivarian is nothing anymore. His legend can take flight.
