People Power, Not “Populism,” Won in Bolivia

The Green Party supports all efforts of self-determination as part of the global decolonization movement.

The Bolivian people have had their say: Socialist leader Luis Arce is the new President. This comes after a fascist coup that overthrew the Indigenous-led government of President Evo Morales late last year. The Pacific Green Party stands in solidarity with the Bolivian people and their newly-elected leader.

President-elect Arce has pledged to restore Bolivian diplomacy with Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran. He has also declared independence from the Capitalist-controlled International Monetary Fund. For these reasons, Americans can expect mainstream talking points on Bolivia to condemn what was a people’s victory, free from US influence. The PGP urges vigilance and skepticism when considering corporate media reportage on this historic event.

Once again, South America is a vital playing ground in a global conflict of ideology. During the Cold War, which Zapatista leader Subcomandante Marcos considers World War III, Communism fought nobly against Capitalism and lost because the CIA played dirty.

In the present conflict, where International Socialism is up against Nationalist Fascism (the unfortunately logical endpoint for Capitalism), this playing field is leveling.

What Reuters is calling a “shift towards populism” in Latin America, wrongly implying political instability, is better described as a “rise in self-determination against tyranny.” The international news agency has gone so far as to suggest this “populism” is a direct result of the COVID pandemic. What they are ignoring is the will of the people.

And let’s make no illusions here: the tone of the Reuters report would be different if this were occurring in France or Italy.

This occurence is not a fluke. With 85% of votes in, Arce’s platform won with 53.9% of the popular vote, far ahead of the second and third place candidates at 29.5% and 14.5%. The numbers don’t lie.

“They wanted to outlaw us, but we resurrected,” Morales said of the results. The usage of the language of liberation theology is intentional. Although there are reports of right-wing challenges against the results in Sucre, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz, the Pacific Green Party is optimistic about the peaceful transition of power.

Neighboring states have elections for their heads of state next year: Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and, closer to home, Honduras and Nicaragua. As believers in electoral integrity and supporters of decolonization, the Pacific Green Party is committed to international solidarity with all people’s movements.