Bolivia’s COB Instructs Bases to Safeguard MAS Inauguration

Against a backdrop of growing violence by right-wing sectors and last-minute attempts to block the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) from taking power, Bolivia’s Central Workers’ Federation (COB) has instructed all of its affiliates and worker organizations to mobilize in La Paz to watch over and guarantee the possession of the new government of Luis Arce on Sunday.

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Executive Secretary of the COB, Juan Carlos Huarachi, called for the safeguarding of the city of La Paz, including Plaza Murillo which hosts government buildings and the palace.

“Once again, the workers of the COB, declare ourselves as in an ongoing state of emergency to safeguard La Paz, to safeguard the palace, to safeguard Plaza Murillo, so that there are no confrontations between brothers and comrades during the days of transition [of power] which will be the 8th of this month.” 

“On the other hand, at the same time, we instruct that all sectors nationally, affiliated and non-affiliated, head to the Seat of Government to be part of the act of transfer of power and at the same time, to safeguard as soldiers of the Process, as Bolivians who have recovered democracy.”

Right-wing shock groups have erected blockades in Santa Cruz as part of a ‘strike’ called by the Santa Cruz Civic Committee, and blockades were also attempted to a lesser extent in the cities of Cochabamba and La Paz, with aims to paralyze the country as they claim fraud in Bolivia’s internationally observed and validated October 18 elections.

The defacto administration and one rouge member of the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) have joined the call for an audit, despite that the President of the TSE said that the extensive national and international observation throughout the electoral process served as a form of audit and that all delegations spoke of the transparency and correctness of the process within their reports.

A statement released by the COB says organizations present must designate comrades who can also protect the surroundings of Plaza Murillo, taking into account that separatist and rightist groups are “illogically and illegally carrying out acts of vandalism, civic strikes, and blockades, demanding audits of the October 18th elections without any evidence, and without wanting to respect the majority vote of the Bolivian people who achieved a victory with 55% of the vote in favor of the government binomial which represents our ideology and social conscience and class struggle.” 

“We will not allow any assault, or attempt of boycott, nor destabilization of the government of the people which today we will defend energetically,” 

President-elect Luis Arce and Vice President-elect David Choquehuanca will be sworn in before the country and foreign Presidents and high-level officials on Sunday, November 8th, putting an end to the year-long coup administration. Argentine President Alberto Fernandez and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro are among the Heads of State expected to attend.

The inaugural events will be followed by the return of Evo Morales to Bolivia, who will be received by Bolivian social movements one year after being exiled from the country following his 2019 electoral victory.