Bolivian University Forces Students to Attend Opposition March

Students at the medical department of the UMSA university, La Paz’s largest public university, are being forced to attend an anti-Evo Morales rally in La Paz later today. A notice from University authorities said that students must formally register their attendance at the rally with faculty staff present. 

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Students at the faculty have denounced the coercive measures. They say that the attendance of students at the rally is supervised by handing in tickets to staff present. Similar to the tickets that must be handed over to teachers when handing in important assignments and exams.  

This is an established practice by the University, who hand out sanctions to those who do not attend. The rector, Waldo Albarracín, is a prominent political figure within the right-wing opposition. Albarracín is a leader of the CONADE organization that seeks to stop Evo Morales from standing for reelection. 

The march planned in La Paz demands that leftist President Evo Morales be banned from running for reelection. However, recent polls indicate that Morales is likely on course for a first-round victory, scoring just under 40% in most opinion polls.