Bolivia: Opposition blockades push for leader's release
Trucks are snarled and people in the Santa Cruz region have to find ways to skirt blockades that opposition leaders set up across the area considered to be Bolivia's economic engine to protest the detention of Gov_ Luis Fernando Camacho late last year on “terrorism charges.”.
Org. of American States boss faces probe over relationship
The Associated Press has learned that the head of the Organization of American States is facing an internal investigation into allegations he carried on an intimate relationship with a staffer that may have violated the organization’s code of ethics.
Bolivia arrests ex-official in probe of IMF loan agreement
Bolivia's government has arrested a former Treasury Ministry official as part of an investigation into a loan from the International Monetary Fund that was renounced by new President Luís Arce. Former Vice Minister Carlos Schlink was arrested Tuesday as he was trying to leave the country, according to prosecutor Manuel Saavedra. Three former treasury ministers also are under investigation.
news.yahoo.comUS questions legality of Bolivian arrests of ex-officials
The United States said Saturday, March 27, 2021, that it is concerned about increasingly anti-democratic behavior and the politicization of the legal system in Bolivia following the arrests of officials from the countrys former interim government. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)LA PAZ – The United States said Saturday that it is concerned about increasingly ″anti-democratic behavior and the politicization of the legal system” in Bolivia following the arrests of officials from the country’s former interim government. He noted that the European Union, the Bolivian Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as Bolivian and international human rights organizations, had also expressed concerns. AdProsecutors accuse Áñez, who assumed the presidency following Morales’ resignation and exile, of terrorism and sedition for unrest that led to his ouster. Morales’ Movement Toward Socialism won last year’s elections with 55% of the vote under Morales’ chosen candidate Luis Arce, who took the presidency in November.
Worldview: North Korea warns U.S., Bolivia former president awaits trial in jail
Worldview: North Korea warns U.S., Bolivia former president awaits trial in jail Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, has warned the U.S. against "causing a stink," right before top U.S. officials travel to South Korea. Jeanine Áñez, the former interim president of Bolivia, has been ordered to four months detention for her role in the alleged 2019 coup that ousted leader Evo Morales. Chris Livesay joins Anne-Marie Green and "CBSN AM" with these and other headlines from around the world.
cbsnews.comWorldview: North Korea warns U.S., Bolivia former president awaits trial in jail
Worldview: North Korea warns U.S., Bolivia former president awaits trial in jail Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, has warned the U.S. against "causing a stink," right before top U.S. officials travel to South Korea. Jeanine Áñez, the former interim president of Bolivia, has been ordered to four months detention for her role in the alleged 2019 coup that ousted leader Evo Morales. CBS News' Chris Livesay joins CBSN AM's Anne-Marie Green with these and other headlines from around the world.
cbsnews.comBolivia arrests ex-leader in crackdown on opposition
Bolivia's former interim President Jeanine Anez is escorted into a police station after giving her statement at the prosectors's office, in La Paz, Bolivia, Saturday, March 13, 2021. “This is not justice,” said former President Carlos Mesa, who has finished second to Morales in several elections. Áñez, a legislator who had been several rungs down the ladder of presidential succession, was vaulted into the interim presidency. It won last year's elections with 55% of the vote under Morales' chosen candidate Luis Arce, who took the presidency in November. New Justice Minister Iván Lima said that Áñez, 53, faces charges related to her actions as an opposition senator, not as former president.
Bolivia's ex-interim leader says authorities seek her arrest
FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2019 file photo, Bolivia's interim President Jeanine Anez speaks during a press conference in La Paz, Bolivia. Anez said on Friday, March 12, 2021, that the new government has issued a warrant for her arrest. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)LA PAZ – Bolivia's former interim president said Friday that authorities are seeking her arrest as they move against officials who backed the ouster of former leader Evo Morales, which his party — now back in power — considers a coup. “The political persecution has begun,” Jeanine Añez, who headed a conservative administration that took power after Morales resigned in November 2019, said on her Twitter account. But Morales' party won election again under his chosen successor, Luis Arce, and the former leader has returned home.
Legislative election leaves Venezuela in political standoff
(AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)CARACAS – President Nicolás Maduro has cemented formal control over all major institutions of power in Venezuela with authorities reporting Monday that his political alliance easily won a majority in congress. Yet he remains a pariah to much of the world following an election critics called deeply undemocratic. “The results of the election show a discouraged, tired people, the vast majority doing everything possible to survive,” Shifter said. The U.S., Panama, Canada and Germany have repeated their condemnation of the the election by Maduro's government following announcement of the results. "The international community now has to decide whether it wants to live with that or restore the democratic path for Venezuela.
Evo Morales returns to Bolivia, ending year in exile
Former President Evo Morales waves during a rally with supporters in Villazon, Bolivia, Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, after he walked across a border bridge from Argentina. Morales, who fled into exile after resigning last November, returned to his homeland the day after the presidential inauguration of his former finance minister Luis Arce. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)LA PAZ – Former President Evo Morales returned to Bolivia on Monday following an election that returned his socialist party to power a year after he fled the nation amid a wave of protests. Indigenous supporters of Morales greeted him at the border with chants of, “Evo! Meanwhile, newly inaugurated President Arce swore in 16 new cabinet ministers who will help him confront the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a sharp economic contraction.
Final count gives leftist big victory in Bolivia election
Luis Arce, presidential candidate for the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party, speaks during an interview at his campaign headquarters in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020, two days after elections. Officials have not released a formal quick count of results from Sundays vote, but the MAS party claimed victory in the presidential election as rival candidates conceded defeat. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)LA PAZ – A final official vote count released Friday gave leftist Luis Arce a smashing victory in Bolivia's presidential election, a vindication for the Movement Toward Socialism party of ousted President Evo Morales, who was barred from running. Last year's presidential election was annulled after protests broke out over alleged fraud by Morales, who had claimed a narrow first-round victory. Morales, who faces a series of charges lodged by the interim administration, was barred from seeking office.
Morales party claims win as Bolivia seems to shift back left
The leading rival of Morales's handpicked successor, Luis Arce, conceded defeat as did interim President Jeanine Áñez, a bitter foe of Morales. Áñez's government tried to overturn many of Morales' policies and wrench the country away from its leftist alliances. “Arce is not Morales, but the question is, who is going to govern Bolivia facing the approaching crisis," said political science professor Franklin Pareja. He shrugged aside a public vote that had set term limits, and competed in the October 2019 presidential vote, which he claimed to have narrowly won outright. When police and military leaders suggested he leave, Morales resigned and fled the country, along with several key aides.
A tense Bolivia awaits voting results in redo amid pandemic
Adding to intrigue, publication of two exit polls were withheld after private pollsters said they didn’t trust their own survey results. Bolivians have long been accustomed to quick preliminary results in presidential elections. He was barred from running for the presidency or even the Senate by electoral authorities following his ouster. He shrugged aside a public vote that had set term limits, and competed in the October 2019 presidential vote, which he claimed to have narrowly won outright. She dropped out at as a candidate for Sunday’s presidential election while trailing badly in polls.
A year after disputed ballot, Bolivians return to polls, and ex-President Evo Morales looms large
He is not on the ballot, but former President Evo Morales looms large in Bolivia’s much-anticipated national elections Sunday. AdvertisementA right-wing legislator, Jeanine Añez, succeeded Morales as the country’s interim president, a move that Morales called illegal. But Añez, a stalwart of the country’s economic elite, could never gain electoral traction beyond her right-leaning base. Advertisement“We have to vote responsibly for the most beneficial candidates, the ones who will defeat Evo Morales,” Añez said this week. The current front-running presidential contender, according to polls, is Luis Arce, 57, an ex-banker who served as Morales’ economic minister.
latimes.comHe's not running, but Morales looms large in Bolivia vote
(AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)LA PAZ – Even in exile, Evo Morales looms over Bolivia’s election next month. Morales, a 60-year-old former coca farmer and union leader, faces terrorism and other charges in Bolivia and is not an election candidate this year. Its presidential candidate, Luis Arce, is a former economy minister who oversaw a nationalization program when Morales was president. Morales' detractors fear a MAS election victory could open the way to the former president's return to Bolivia and his political rehabilitation. ___Associated Press writer Carlos Valdez reported this story in La Paz, Bolivia, and AP writer Christopher Torchia reported from Mexico City.
HRW: Bolivia case against Morales is politically motivated
MAS is the party of former President Evo Morales who was ousted on 10 November 2019, after 21 days of civil protests amid allegations of electoral fraud. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)LA PAZ – Terrorism charges against former Bolivian President Evo Morales appear to be politically motivated and are part of a wider campaign by Bolivia’s interim government to use the justice system against political opponents, Human Rights Watch said Friday. A similar pattern of judicial abuses occurred during the administration of Morales, the group said. Officials in Bolivia’s interim government alleged that Morales, during continuing upheaval after his resignation, gave an instruction in a telephone call that followers should surround cities to prevent food supplies reaching the inhabitants. The interim government denied it was using the justice system against opponents and said Bolivia’s judicial authorities were selected by Morales supporters when he was in power.
Bolivia calls on ICC to investigate Morales over blockades
After 14 years in power, Morales resigned under pressure from the military and police on Nov. 10 amid widespread protests and disturbances alleging he was attempting to fraudulently claim reelection. Morales was the country's first Indigenous president and remains a powerful influence in the country. In addition, the government is also responsible for the massacre in November's protests and doesn't say anything, lawmaker Sergio Choque said. Prosecutors will weigh whether they have jurisdiction and whether the case is admissible under the court's rules before deciding whether to launch an investigation. The sanctions were immediately denounced by the court, the United Nations and human rights advocates.
Bolivia's political crisis threatens hospitals and patients
A nurse attends to a newborn baby in the intensive care unit of the Women's Hospital maternity ward in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020. Bolivia's political and social crisis is coinciding with the continued spread of the new coronavirus across one of Latin America's poorest countries. Bolivia's political crisis adds to the burden on its health care system, which was already grappling with the coronavirus as it continues to spread across one of Latin America's poorest countries. Now, after about 10 days of blockades, supplies are threatened in some hospitals that are also dealing with an escalating number of COVID-19 patients, according to officials. Hospitals filled up with patients, and funeral homes were besieged by grieving relatives looking to bury their dead.
Bolivia delays presidential election due to pandemic
Police in Bolivias major cities have recovered the bodies of hundreds of suspected victims of the coronavirus from homes, vehicles, and in some instances, the streets. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)LA PAZ Bolivia's highest electoral authority on Thursday delayed presidential elections by more than a month due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal moved the election date from Sep. 6 to Oct. 18, the third time the vote has been delayed. Morales has said vote delays would extend the country's crisis of legitimacy, make it even harder to govern, and would worsen the pandemic. Bolivia has more than 64,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and more than 2,300 deaths, a toll that is overwhelming its hospitals and other infrastructure.
Bolivia's September vote in doubt as virus death toll rises
Bolivia's Institute of Forensic Investigations said that nationally from April 1 through July 19, its workers had recovered 3,016 bodies of people in possible COVID-19 cases. Police said they have recovered 420 bodies from streets, vehicles and homes in the capital of La Paz, and in Bolivias biggest city, Santa Cruz, in the span of five days. Between 80% and 90% of them are believed to have had the virus. Bolivia has reported nearly 2,300 confirmed deaths from COVID-10, although the real number is believed to be higher. Arce has alleged the government of interim President Jeanine ez is using the pandemic as a pretext to extend itself.Six of the eight parties in Bolivias election race have said they favor a postponement.
In Bolivian city, people buy fake - and toxic - virus cure
According to city officials, ten elders have died in the last two weeks at the care facility after COVID-19 related symptoms. The Health Ministry cannot risk recommending something that doesnt have a scientific basis, said Miguel ngel Delgado, a senior ministry official. However, Bolivias opposition-controlled congress is promoting the use of chlorine dioxide. Many fearful residents in Cochabamba, where opposition support is strong, are giving chlorine dioxide a try. Cochabamba has reported about 440 deaths from COVID-19, or one-quarter of the total number of reported deaths in Bolivia.
COVID hits dozens of Latin leaders, including presidents
FILE - In this May 25, 2020, file photo, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, wearing a face mask amid the coronavirus pandemic, stands among supporters as he leaves his official residence of Alvorada palace in Brasilia, Brazil. Bolsonaro said Tuesday, July 7, he tested positive for COVID-19 after months of downplaying the virus's severity while deaths mounted rapidly inside the country. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)
COVID hits dozens of Latin leaders, including presidents
Bolsonaro said Tuesday, July 7, he tested positive for COVID-19 after months of downplaying the virus's severity while deaths mounted rapidly inside the country. And in Venezuela, 57-year-old socialist party chief Diosdado Cabello said Thursday on Twitter that he, too, had tested positive, at least temporarily sidelining a larger-than-life figure considered the second-most-powerful person in the country. An Associated Press review of official statements from public officials across Latin America found at least 42 confirmed cases of new coronavirus in leaders ranging from presidents to mayors of major cities, along with dozens, likely hundreds, of officials from smaller cities and towns. Many leaders have used their diagnoses to call on the public to heighten precautions like social distancing and mask wearing. They have to be responsible.”Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei placed his entire Cabinet and their staff in quarantine Thursday after one of his ministers tested positive.
Spread of coronavirus fuels corruption in Latin America
Even amid a global pandemic, theres no sign that corruption is slowing down in Latin America. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)MIAMI Even in a pandemic, there's no slowdown for swindlers in Latin America. Coronavirus clusters are still spreading in Latin America, fueling a spike in deaths, swamping already-precarious hospitals and threatening to ravage slumping economies. To be sure, disasters breed corruption all over the world, not just in Latin America. But stealing state funds is especially vexing in Latin America because of gaping poverty and a tattered social safety net.
Does Trump support democracy in Latin America? Critics say it depends whos in power
A president in Latin America skirts term limits to run for office again. AdvertisementGeopolitical concerns, of course, have often beat out principle when it comes to U.S. policy in Latin America, most notably when the region was a Cold War battleground. There, the Trump administration opposed Evo Morales, the left-wing indigenous leader who has frequently denounced what he considers U.S. imperialism in the region. Trujillo, a 36-year-old former state representative in Florida, was appointed to his post months after the Honduras election controversy. The Trump administration would like to remove Nicolas Maduro, the countrys socialist president, saying it seeks to restore democracy.
latimes.comU.N. commissioner warns that violence in Bolivia could spin out of control
Postelection violence causing turmoil in the South American nation of Bolivia could spin out of control if officials resort to the use of disproportionate force, the United Nations human rights chief said Saturday. Surviving protesters and family members of the victims blamed security services, but government officials said some demonstrators were also armed during clashes. I am really concerned that the situation in Bolivia could spin out of control, said Bachelet, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement. Morales stepped down under military pressure last Sunday and fled to Mexico, where he was granted political asylum. Morales has labeled her government illegitimate and called for national dialogue brokered by the United Nations or the Vatican.
latimes.comBolivian interim leader says Evo Morales cant run in new vote and asks Mexico to muzzle him
Bolivias interim government wants Mexico to muzzle Evo Morales, outspoken ex-president of the Andean nation. But he has not left quietly, assailing as illegitimate the government of self-appointed interim Bolivian President Jeanine Aez, who called Morales broadsides from Mexico inflammatory. Evo Morales, from his exile, is breaking all protocols because he should not be making public declarations, Aez told reporters in La Paz, the Bolivian capital. In Bolivia, Morales supporters have been staging daily demonstrations. Hopefully it is recognized how he [Morales] ... lifted Bolivia from being a country with much poverty, Lopez Obrador told reporters Wednesday.
latimes.comAs Morales arrives in Mexico, Bolivian opposition senator declares herself interim president
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales arrived Tuesday in Mexico, where authorities have granted him political asylum, as an opposition senator back in Bolivia declared herself interim president. But the United States, which has long opposed Morales for his socialist policies, appeared to recognize Aez as interim president. Former Bolivian President Evo Morales waves upon landing in Mexico City on Tuesday. Among those accompanying Morales to Mexico was the former vice president, Alvaro Garcia Linera, a longtime confidant. Before Morales arrived here, the Mexican foreign secretary dismissed suggestions that Mexicos decision to grant asylum to Morales a longtime critic of U.S. imperialism would elevate tensions with the United States.
latimes.comBolivian President Morales resigns after deadly protests
Bolivian President Evo Morales announced his resignation Sunday under mounting pressure from the military and the public after his reelection victory triggered weeks of fraud allegations and deadly protests. This is Bolivia, and Bolivia is respected! a crowd in the capital shouted. His vice president also resigned, as did the Senate president, who was next in line. The leadership crisis escalated in the hours leading up Morales resignation. The state news agency ABI said Morales announced his resignation from Chapare province, where he began his career as a union leader.
latimes.comBolivia's Evo Morales declares victory after contentious vote count as protests rage
President of Bolivia Evo Morales speaks during a press conference on October 24, 2019 in La Paz, Bolivia. Supporters and detractors of Bolivia's President and current candidate Evo Morales confront each other in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, October 24, 2019. On Thursday, Morales supporters announced marches in the coca-growing region of Chapare, a bastion of support for the president. International vote monitors have questioned the early daylong gap in reporting results before a sudden spurt in Morales' vote percentage. Morales had repeatedly said since late Sunday that he won the vote outright and that his opponents are conspiring to oust him.
cbsnews.comBolivian protesters claim presidential election rigged
LA PAZ, Bolivia - Tensions continue to rise on the streets of the Bolivian administrative capital La Paz, with angry crowds accusing authorities of fraud in Sunday's presidential election. Protesters and the opposition claim electoral authorities manipulated the vote count in favor of President Evo Morales, the nation's longtime socialist leader. On Monday night protesters raided two Electoral Tribunal buildings in different Bolivian cities, according to Bolivian news agency ABI. Amid accusations of fraud, the vice president of the Bolivian Supreme Electoral Court, Antonio Costas, announced his resignation Tuesday night. President Morales, who is seeking his fourth term in office, claimed victory over the weekend and is expected to make televised remarks on Wednesday morning local time.
Bolivian leader calls protests over disputed election results a "coup"
Anti-government protesters march against early presidential election results in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. APLa Paz, Bolivia Bolivia's opposition launched a general strike Wednesday over disputed election results suggesting another term for President Evo Morales, who likened the stoppage to a right wing coup. Morales, a former coca farmer and Latin America's longest serving leader, is seeking a fourth straight term. Meanwhile, an umbrella organization of pro-Morales labor and farmers' unions, CONALCAM, called on its members to defend the official results. People hold a protest against the Departmental Electoral Court, following the election results, in Sucre, Bolivia on October 22, 2019.
cbsnews.comFires destroy more than 4.2 million wild acres in Bolivia
LA PAZ, Bolivia - It's not just the Brazilian Amazon burning -- fires in Bolivia have ravaged more than 1.7 million hectares (4.2 million acres) of land, according to Bolivian officials. The website of Bolivia's Santa Cruz region described finding charred animals in its devastated lands, and others desperately searching for food and water. Thousands of firefighters, park rangers, state employees, and volunteers are on the front lines fighting the fires, but new fires keep starting and spreading, she said. The fires have claimed two lives so far, according to Bolivian President Evo Morales. During the G7 summit in August, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a $20 million emergency fund to help Amazon countries affected by the rainforest fires.
Bolivia's Amazon is on fire, too
CNN(CNN) - While the world's attention focuses on the destructive Amazon wildfires in Brazil, devastating blazes have decimated swathes of tropical forests and savannah in neighboring Bolivia. The Amazon spans eight countries, including Bolivia, though the majority of the forest is in Brazil. The Amazon forest produces about 20% of the world's oxygen and plays an essential part in the fight against climate change. He added that on a visit to certain locations, mainly around Robore in eastern Bolivia, fires had decreased by about 70%. During the G7 summit on Monday, Macron announced a $20 million emergency fund to help Amazon countries affected by the rainforest fires.
US firefighting supertanker plane helping fight Amazon fires
CNN Wire(CNN) - Bolivia just got a huge helping hand in the fight to keep raging fires in the Amazon rainforest at bay. Colorado-based Global SuperTanker sent its Boeing 747-400 firefighting plane to the South American country Friday to conduct firefighting missions over part of Bolivia's portion of the rainforest, the company announced. The B747-400 SuperTanker is in the category of Very Large Airtankers (VLAT) used for fighting fires. Dan Reese, president of Global SuperTanker, traveled to South America as part of a 14-person team to battle the fires in Bolivia. He told CNN there are "an unbelievable number of fires" in the Amazon and his company is part of the response.