By Bill Cormier / AP
Republished from ABC News
Resigns Amid Weeks of Civil Unrest, Paralyzing Capital
President Carlos Mesa offered to resign Monday night, seeking to quell weeks of anti-government protests that have paralyzed parts of the country.
The offer came as tens of thousands of Indians, miners and labor members protested in downtown La Paz in their largest anti-government march in weeks.
“This is as far as I can go,” Mesa said in a nationally televised address. “It is my decision as president to present my resignation.” It was the second time this year he offered to step down because of street protests.
Protesters had been calling for Mesa’s resignation as well as demanding earlier elections. Monday’s protest in La Paz were largely peaceful, but riot police fired volleys of tear gas canisters and fought sporadic battles against rock-throwing protesters on the fringes of the demonstration.
More than 500 protesters were turned away by acrid tear gas as they tried to close in on Mesa’s seat of power at the Government Palace, and riot police also scattered a crowd of thousands from another downtown plaza when they tried to rally.
No injuries were immediately reported, but police made 22 arrests, among them protesters accused of brandishing dynamite, according to state television Canal Siete.
Mesa previously offered to resign in March amid similar protests, in an apparent political gamble to rally critics around his administration. Lawmakers rejected the offer then, giving Mesa crucial support after he had said the country was becoming ungovernable.
The protests began with long lines of demonstrators, including indigenous women in black bowler hats and farmers in baseball caps, who snaked down from poor hilltop slums above the capital. Disgruntled miners created thunderous booms by tossing dynamite sticks.
“A people united will never be defeated!” protesters shouted, as they pressed for the nationalization of Bolivia’s energy industry and greater indigenous rights, among other demands.
The raucous but largely peaceful demonstrations raised tensions in this impoverished Andean nation of 9 million people, marking the fourth week of a swelling crisis that has seen protesters throw up road blockades that have strangled the capital and triggered gas and food shortages.
The crisis pits Indian and labor groups from the poorer eastern highlands, including La Paz and its poor satellite city of El Alto, against ruling blocks from Santa Cruz in the east and the oil-rich gas fields to the south that are pursuing greater autonomy.
The protests have steadily increased after Bolivia’s Congress moved last month to increase taxes on foreign oil companies that have flocked to the country to develop its natural gas reserves the second largest in South America after Venezuela.
The measure by lawmakers was intended to calm tensions in a country where anti-globalization anger runs high. But the move only unleashed new street demonstrations by protesters demanding the nationalization of the oil industry and a constitutional assembly to write a new constitution giving stronger representation to the indigenous population, which makes up about half the population.
The calls are being rejected by leaders in the eastern and southern provinces, where much of the gas reserves are located. They have instead pressed for a referendum to decide on greater autonomy for their regions.
La Paz residents, worried about growing shortages, watched fearfully as the crowds filed down into this city of 1 million from the impoverished slums in El Alto the teeming heights above.
“I’m really afraid,” said street vendor Lucy Gutierrez, 46, who eyed the crowd from her chewing gum and soda cart. “Already we are feeling shortages of food and it’s getting hard to even move about the city. Who knows how this will all turn out.”
One demonstrating teacher, Max Mendoza, said the government had for too long ignored popular demands. “In what country will you find starting teachers only making $60 a month?” he asked.
On Monday, Israel said it would evacuated dozens of young Israelis mainly backpackers from La Paz because of the protests. The first group of Israelis were to be flown later Monday to Juliaca, in neighboring Peru, Israel’s ambassador to Peru, Ori Noy, told Israel radio.
Hundreds of miles away in the lowland city of Santa Cruz, Roman Catholic Cardinal Julio Terrazas met for a third straight day with political and social leaders in hopes of quelling flaring tempers.
Congressional leaders said one possible solution could be to bring forward presidential elections, allowing voters to choose a new president to replace Mesa until his constitutional term ends in August 2007.
An early election, probably in December, is a possibility “that is gaining force in the country,” Senate President Hormando Vaca Diez said after weekend meetings with Terraza and other Catholic leaders.
Republished from ABC News
Resigns Amid Weeks of Civil Unrest, Paralyzing Capital
President Carlos Mesa offered to resign Monday night, seeking to quell weeks of anti-government protests that have paralyzed parts of the country.
The offer came as tens of thousands of Indians, miners and labor members protested in downtown La Paz in their largest anti-government march in weeks.
“This is as far as I can go,” Mesa said in a nationally televised address. “It is my decision as president to present my resignation.” It was the second time this year he offered to step down because of street protests.
Protesters had been calling for Mesa’s resignation as well as demanding earlier elections. Monday’s protest in La Paz were largely peaceful, but riot police fired volleys of tear gas canisters and fought sporadic battles against rock-throwing protesters on the fringes of the demonstration.
More than 500 protesters were turned away by acrid tear gas as they tried to close in on Mesa’s seat of power at the Government Palace, and riot police also scattered a crowd of thousands from another downtown plaza when they tried to rally.
No injuries were immediately reported, but police made 22 arrests, among them protesters accused of brandishing dynamite, according to state television Canal Siete.
Mesa previously offered to resign in March amid similar protests, in an apparent political gamble to rally critics around his administration. Lawmakers rejected the offer then, giving Mesa crucial support after he had said the country was becoming ungovernable.
The protests began with long lines of demonstrators, including indigenous women in black bowler hats and farmers in baseball caps, who snaked down from poor hilltop slums above the capital. Disgruntled miners created thunderous booms by tossing dynamite sticks.
“A people united will never be defeated!” protesters shouted, as they pressed for the nationalization of Bolivia’s energy industry and greater indigenous rights, among other demands.
The raucous but largely peaceful demonstrations raised tensions in this impoverished Andean nation of 9 million people, marking the fourth week of a swelling crisis that has seen protesters throw up road blockades that have strangled the capital and triggered gas and food shortages.
The crisis pits Indian and labor groups from the poorer eastern highlands, including La Paz and its poor satellite city of El Alto, against ruling blocks from Santa Cruz in the east and the oil-rich gas fields to the south that are pursuing greater autonomy.
The protests have steadily increased after Bolivia’s Congress moved last month to increase taxes on foreign oil companies that have flocked to the country to develop its natural gas reserves the second largest in South America after Venezuela.
The measure by lawmakers was intended to calm tensions in a country where anti-globalization anger runs high. But the move only unleashed new street demonstrations by protesters demanding the nationalization of the oil industry and a constitutional assembly to write a new constitution giving stronger representation to the indigenous population, which makes up about half the population.
The calls are being rejected by leaders in the eastern and southern provinces, where much of the gas reserves are located. They have instead pressed for a referendum to decide on greater autonomy for their regions.
La Paz residents, worried about growing shortages, watched fearfully as the crowds filed down into this city of 1 million from the impoverished slums in El Alto the teeming heights above.
“I’m really afraid,” said street vendor Lucy Gutierrez, 46, who eyed the crowd from her chewing gum and soda cart. “Already we are feeling shortages of food and it’s getting hard to even move about the city. Who knows how this will all turn out.”
One demonstrating teacher, Max Mendoza, said the government had for too long ignored popular demands. “In what country will you find starting teachers only making $60 a month?” he asked.
On Monday, Israel said it would evacuated dozens of young Israelis mainly backpackers from La Paz because of the protests. The first group of Israelis were to be flown later Monday to Juliaca, in neighboring Peru, Israel’s ambassador to Peru, Ori Noy, told Israel radio.
Hundreds of miles away in the lowland city of Santa Cruz, Roman Catholic Cardinal Julio Terrazas met for a third straight day with political and social leaders in hopes of quelling flaring tempers.
Congressional leaders said one possible solution could be to bring forward presidential elections, allowing voters to choose a new president to replace Mesa until his constitutional term ends in August 2007.
An early election, probably in December, is a possibility “that is gaining force in the country,” Senate President Hormando Vaca Diez said after weekend meetings with Terraza and other Catholic leaders.
