Tuesday 21 October 2008, San José, Costa
Rica
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US Blockade
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Bolivia's
Ruling Party, Opposition Agree To
Referendum On Constitution
U.S.-Paraguayan Summit Due Next Week
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Bolivia's Ruling Party,
Opposition Agree To
Referendum On
Constitution
Lima - Bolivia's ruling
party and opposition
reached an agreement
Monday to call a
referendum on a new
constitution after
several days of
dialogue, according to
news reports reaching
here from La Paz,
administrative capital
of Bolivia.
The agreement sets the
date of the referendum
on Jan. 25, 2009,and
sometime in December
2009 for the legislative
and presidential
elections, said Senator
Felix Rojas from the
ruling party Movement
Towards Socialism (MAS).
Rojas announced the
agreement Monday with
Senator Luis Vasquez
from the opposition
Social Democratic Power
(Podemos).
The legislators said
they had reached an
important agreement to
answer the Bolivian
people, who had been
assembling at the
Murillo Square in La Paz
since Monday morning.
It was reported that
congressmen from the
opposition party dropped
their protest after
President Evo Morales
agreed to limit himself
to running for one more
term in office.
Vasquez said the
agreement will prevent
Morales from prolonging
his control of power.
Essential issues had
been resolved,
contributing to the
pacification of the
country and avoiding
clashes, Vasquez was
quoted as saying.
The constitution
proposed by Morales,
which was approved by
parliament late last
year, is expected to
give the country's
indigenous more rights
and financial benefits.
However, the opposition
was vehemently against a
referendum needed to
turn the draft
constitution into law,
saying the document does
not meet their demand
for greater autonomy in
the
opposition-controlled
eastern provinces.
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