Racism and The Coup in Bolivia

The coup in Bolivia is largely driven by racism and classism hidden behind Christian theocracy.

Despite Bolivian president Evo Morales being constrained to resign on November 10, corporate media continues to suggest he did so voluntarily. Morales, his vice president Álvaro García, and many others were forced to step down under threat of brutality against them, members of the cabinet, congressional representatives, and their families.

Both the commander in chief of the military and head of the Bolivian Police demanded, in no uncertain terms, that Morales resign.

Bolivia’s Legislative Assembly has not accepted Morales’ resignation as required by Bolivia’s Constitution. Most of the corporate-driven press has given a predictably one-sided view of the situation in the resource-rich State with a population of 11.5 million — more than half of which are Indigenous. It is evident that this was a coup d’etat backed by the United States.

Right-wing circles around the world are celebrating the forceful takeover of an administration that has been a driving force for the advancement of Indigenous people, the environment, women’s rights, and worker’s rights throughout the region. Bolivia has boasted one of the most stable economic growth rates in the Western Hemisphere (between 4% and 5%) and decreased poverty for millions of Bolivians (from 59% to 39%).

On October 24th, Bolivia’s election panel declared Morales the victor with 47.1% of the vote and Carlos Mesa the runner up with 36.5% of the vote. The Center for Economic and Policy Research declared Morales the winner with a sufficient margin of victory. The Organization of the Americas (OAS) then stated that the election had irregularities and that the “auditing team could not validate the electoral results and were thus, recommending another election.”

Jennifer Cyr, associate professor of Political Science and Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona told me, “the answer is not as black and white as some might think. The military asked Evo Morales to step down. This kind of intervention on the part of the military looks, to many, as meddling at best or outright pressure at worse.” She continued, “but citizens had been protesting for weeks. Pressures for him to step down came from multiple places.”