Bolivia’s Pititas Fail to Mobilize Support for Coup

With two days until the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) governs Bolivia once again, some sectors are vowing to block the inauguration. 

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Road blockades continue around Santa Cruz and in the middle to upper-class areas of Cochabamba, at times turning aggressive or even violent, as right-wing groups demand an audit of the October 18 election while asking the coup administration to retain power or turn it over to the military. 

Workers in several neighborhoods have responded by lifting barricades where they see them, or in other cases, directly confronting the protesters to get to work.

In La Paz, anti-MAS protests have been much smaller, paling in comparison to the pro-coup demonstrations one year ago. Blockades in La Paz have failed to be erected, and gatherings have typically brought together groups of just a few dozen people, often to Plaza Abaroa, across from the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE), in the middle-class area of Sopocachi. 

On Thursday, the MAS denounced an attack against the MAS campaign house in La Paz with dynamite as President-elect Luis Arce held a meeting inside. No injuries reported, but the MAS has accused outgoing authorities of failing to provide adequate security for President-elect Luis Arce, as security remains under the control of the coup administration.

While major Bolivian TV news networks have provided an unlimited platform for anti-MAS activists of the right, it seems efforts to repeat the November 2019 coup have failed to garner support.

By Friday, all of Plaza Murillo, the square by which several government buildings and the palace are accessed, was barricaded and policed. The Plaza will host the inaugural events, including a civic parade following the swearing in ceremony.

Official delegations are expected to arrive in La Paz on Saturday and during the early morning hours on Sunday from Iran, Paraguay, Venezuela, Uruguay, Argentina, Spain, Colombia, Panama, the United States, Chile, and Peru.