Bolivian Opposition Fails to Unite Against Evo Morales

Bolivia’s Committee for the Defense of Democracy (Conade), along with other opposition groups, claim to declare a state of emergency after incumbents Evo Morales and Alvaro Garcia Linera announced their reelection bid last week for president and vice president of the nation, respectively.

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Opposition parties and civic groups met Friday in Santa Cruz, Bolivia,  to also demand the resignation of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), which they have requested several times, because its members sided with the nation’s Constitutional Court to allow Morales to run a third term, a decision also backed by Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS).

Those present at the seven-hour long meeting Friday included Morales’ main opposition candidate and former president, Carlos Mesa, who refused to commit to any alliances with the several other opposition candidates, including Senator Edwin Rodriguez, a vice presidential candidate with the Democracy Party.

Local reports say that when Mesa tried to hurriedly leave the meeting he was met with protesters who shouted at the candidate, "Speak to the people, scoundrel," "Bolivia will condemn you, son of Satan" and "Respond! Are you with Bolivia, are you with democracy?" Mesa was forced to resign in 2005 after popular protests.

Luis Fernando Camacho, President of the Santa Cruz Committee, declared that a "national emergency” had been enacted and that all TSE members should resign and be replaced by May 31.

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While opposition factions can't seem to conglomerate, President Morales inaugurated the nation’s first state-run glass packaging factory in southern Bolivia to the congratulations of former Uruguayan president, Jose Mujica.

In a social media video, Mujica said the decision of the Bolivian leader to move ahead with the state of the art factory was "astonishing" and confirms the "leap that Bolivia is making" with its industrialization process.

The new site has the capacity to produce 130 tons of glass bottles per day for juice, beer and soft drink firms.

The ex-president of Uruguay said the glass factory is an example of the  industrialization that Morales has been carrying out for more than 10 years and he hopes it "doesn’t stop" for the modernization of Bolivia, but without losing "its beautiful tradition and sociocultural vision."