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Pressured, Bolivian President
Refuses to Resign
The administration of Bolivian
President Carlos Mesa asserted
he would continue in his post,
despite entrepreneurs,
politicians, radical leaders and
even two insubordinate officers
have asked him to resign.
Demands are ironically
multiplying following two months
of Mesa´s resignation request to
the Congress, which did not
accept it.
Thus, he proposed to hold
elections in advance to try to
leave the presidency, but once
more, the entity turned down his
decision.
On the issue, Presidency
Minister Jose Galindo made it
cleared that Mesa would remain
in the post until his mandate
ends.
The president is governing and
will govern until August 6 2007,
as stipulated by the
Constitution, noted Jose Galindo
in response to assessments by
the Bolivian Business
Confederation and the Industry
and Trade Chamber of the city of
Santa Cruz, which said Mesa
should resign and call for
advanced elections if he is not
unable to govern and
re-establish order.
Members of the Nationalist
Democratic Action Party, of
former dictator Hugo Banzer, and
the National Union, of wealthy
entrepreneur Samuel Doria Medina
considered Mesa´s resignation
would resolve the situation.
On Wednesday, two officers who
were expelled from the army for
insubordination also asked the
current statesman to resign.
Congress President Hormando Vaca
Diez (Social Democracy Party)
only said Mesa had to use his
powers because the country faced
a chaos.
Amid this panorama, the
Revolutionary Nationalist
Movement, of ex president
Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, urged
Mesa to call a state of siege,
while Movimiento al Socialismo
(Movement to Socialism) leader
Evo Morales expressed his
concern about stepped-up
pressures for Mesa´s
resignation, which he considered
that would not resolve the
crisis.
Morales said the crisis could
only be solved through a
constituent assembly.
Meanwhile, people´s
organizations informed their
protests, which started on May
16, would continue until next
Monday, when more people will
incorporate to them.
Bolivians have been demanding to
call to a constituent assembly
and nationalize or regain the
hydrocarbon control.
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