|
|
About
The Coffee TableThe Reference DeskNoticias de Bolivia
Blogroll |
Archive: June 2008
Savina Cuéllar elected Chuquisaca prefectPosted June 30, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (13)Tags: Bolivia elections regionalism Sucre As expected, Savina Cuéllar won the race for Chuquisaca prefect by a comfortable margin over the MAS candidate (57.3 to 39.4 percent). Although these are unofficial “quick” counts, they’re not expected to change much. (Official results from the National Electoral Court, w/ only about half of the vote counted, so far gives Cuéllar almost 75 percent of the vote.)
Chuquisaca prefecture election todayPosted June 29, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)Tags: Bolivia elections Sucre Chuquisaca voters go to the polls today to elect a new prefect to replace interim prefect Ariel Iriarte. The previous prefect, David Sánchez (MAS) resigned over the government’s handling of the social unrest during the final days of the constituent assembly process in Sucre last December, which left three dead.
Chicago, then MichiganPosted June 26, 2008 | PermalinkWe’ve been back from our summer expedition for a few days now. It just took a while to get to some of the pictures from our cross-country trip (lesson learned: driving nearly 2,000 miles w/ a five-month-old is harder than we thought). Some quick notes (and pictures):
Tarija voters opt for autonomyPosted June 23, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4)Tags: Bolivia decentralization Evo Morales politics regional autonomy Tarija As expected, voters in Tarija approved an autonomy statute by wide margins. Though final counts aren’t yet in, preliminary counts show that the “Sí” vote reached about 80%. Voters in Santa Cruz, Beni, and Pando have already approved autonomy statutes. It also currently looks as if voter turnout was higher than in the three other departments, despite attempts at preventing the vote by pro-MAS activists.
Explosion & arrests in TarijaPosted June 22, 2008 | PermalinkTags: Bolivia Evo Morales referendum regional autonomy Tarija Back from vacation (and only now w/ cable/internet restored). Still catching up w/ news, email, work, etc. More later. But some startling news from Tarija: An explosion at a Canal 4 installation in Yacuiba, Tarija. The department of Tarija is today wrapping up its own autonomy referendum election. At least one suspect (who has admitted to complicity) w/ ties to the presidential palace was rounded up: Lt. Georgef Peter Nava Zurita is identified as a member of the presidential guard. Another 19 civilians were arrested in connection. While Evo’s government denies any connection to Nava (though La Razón reporters who called for information pretending to be his cousin were given the opposite impression), opposition leaders are claiming this is a sign of Evo’s “state terrorism.” Tomorrow will bring preliminary results of Tarija’s autonomy referendum. This now makes four such votes. Evo’s government has rejected all such referendums as illegal, and pro-MAS supporters have mobilized to prevent voting in each of the four regional referendum elections.
Posted June 19, 2008 |
Permalink
Still traveling. We’ve just arrived in Saginaw for our last visit, before we push off & head back to Baltimore tomorrow. Trying to keep up w/ news during long internet-less days is tough; so all that will have to wait until later. Instead, we’re enjoying seeing nieces we rarely see, reconnecting w/ family & friends, and enjoying our “up North” Michigan adventure.
Posted June 10, 2008 |
Permalink
| Comments (7)
Pronto* takes a two weeks vacation starting today. We’ll be on the road tonight to Chicago for K8’s graduation, then a swing through Michigan to visit family, then back in Baltimore two weeks later.
Race, Ethnicity, and NationalismPosted June 6, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4)Tags: Bolivia nationalism social theory I’ve been meaning to post a note about my objections to the use of the term “race” when discussing Bolivian social politics (I prefer the term “ethnicity”). A brief report in today’s La Razón provides a great starting point: The Qhara Qhara “nation” was “reborn” yesterday.
Opposition leader freedPosted June 4, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)Tags: Bolivia politics Roberto Sándoval, campaign manager for an opposition candidate, has been freed (see news report). The ruling was made by a judge in an El Alto court, after state prosecutors were unable to present any evidence, indictments, or warrants against Sándoval. In effect, the judge ruled the arrest—made by agents of the Intelligence and Government ministries—illegal (see previous post).
How to lose the PR war in BoliviaPosted June 3, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (5)Tags: Bolivia Chuquisaca Evo Morales politics Sucre The campaign manager (Roberto Sándoval) for an opposition candidate for the Chuquisaca prefecture (Sabina Cuéllar) was detained yesterday (see news report). He’s accused various crimes, including sedition & attempted “magnicide” (stemming from pro-government & opposition forces a few weeks ago in Sucre). If true, they’re serious crimes, of course. Yet the circumstances of his detention seemed questionable: A number of unidentified, masked men forced him into a vehicle. The government only acknowledged his arrest & announced its indictment 12 hours later, after his wife denounced his kidnapping.
Summer updatePosted June 2, 2008 | PermalinkTags: autonomy movement Beni Bolivia Pando politics It’s been a hectic two weeks. Since May 15, we’ve moved to Baltimore, held our son’s christening, attended two weddings (one in DC, one in Carlisle), and hosted a reunion of the Centellas brothers for Andy & Saloumeh’s MBA graduations in Delaware. We also attended two Orioles games, bought new furniture at IKEA, and have started to explore our new Mount Washington (or is it Roland Park?) neighborhood. Continue reading "Summer update"
|
The Basics
SearchCategories
Archives
Posta Classico
|
