MEDIA REACTION ON BOLIVIAN PRESIDENT ELECT,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 002542

SIPDIS

DEPT. FOR WHA/PD; IIP/G/WHA DIPASQUALE; AND IIP/T/ES
DEPT. FOR WHA/AND, WHA/CEN, EB, AND INL/LP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KPAO PREL PGOV SNAR ECON HO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON BOLIVIAN PRESIDENT ELECT,
DECEMBER 20, 2005



1. Editorial in Tegucigalpa-based moderate daily "El
Heraldo" titled "Bolivian Irony." "The electoral triumph of
the socialist Evo Morales is a hard hit for the traditional
groups of power and also for U.S. influences in Latin
America."

"This doesn't mean that the coca leader will have a easy
path. If he acts responsibly and is capable of managing the
economy well it will be possible that he won't have major
difficulties with the groups who are against him."

"Another radical leader, Felipe Quispe, said yesterday that
with Morales `there will be no change and everything will be
the same. If he (Morales) wants us to believe him, he has
to establish a revolutionary and socialist administration,
but he won't do it. This will be another neo-liberal
government."

"The most important thing is that the Bolivian people have
elected change when they demolished the old structures that
were incapable of acting for the benefit of the majority and
now they receive their punishment."


2. On 12/20 the Tegucigalpa-based liberal daily "La Tribuna"
published an editorial entitled "If Evo Won." "The triumph
of Evo Morales in Bolivia wasn't a surprise, but the fact
that he obtained an absolute majority surely is."

"The Venezuelan government declared that `not everything
that Latin AMERICA does is anti-North American, it is a
national situation and of patriotic importance to improve
the people's conditions.'"

"It would be difficult for the leftist leader to go through
a miraculous transformation into a rightist in order to calm
the stressful nerves of businessmen, investors and
Washington."

"The North American government has been more concerned about
what is happening in Middle East and terrorist threats
rather than to focusing their complete attention to this
(elections). The biggest concern for Evo Morales will be
the internal situation, to create a model that won't deviate
from his speech and won't scare away investment."


3. The San Pedro Sula-based liberal daily "Tiempo" ran an
editorial entitled "With the Flow." "The Evo Morales'
triumph in Bolivia clearly registers as part of the dominant
wave claiming social responsibility in Latin America."

"Evo Morales's win is extraordinary in many ways, especially
in a country like Bolivia, which historically has had
authoritarian governments and since 1982 during its short
democratic history, has been marked by convulsion."

"It is obvious that, with such a strong electoral mandate,
Evo Morales, unlike his predecessors, will have enough
capacity to govern and maneuver in order to undertake the
reforms being demanded by the Bolivian people, who are
enduring from poverty and social exclusion."

"It is anticipated that the rise of the Socialist Movement
(MAS - Movimiento Al Socialismo) to political power, with
its charismatic leader Evo Morales, will propel the dynamics
of social and economic change even more in Latin America,
especially as similar changes are expected in other
countries on the continent involved in the electoral
process."


4. "Tiempo" ran an op-ed by Raul Cortes entitled "Evo
Morales, from peasant to the first Indian president." "Evo
Morales, who obtained a great victory, will become the first
Indian president of this Andean nation."

"In the 80s he migrated to Chapare in search of
opportunities. He was introduced to the coca labor union
movement and on Sunday he obtained a firm victory with
almost 100percent of the votes."

"The labor union movement gave him a boost into politics and
in 1995 he founded the Movement to Socialism (MAS)."

"In 2002 he ran for the presidency for the first time. That
candidacy caused his ouster from Congress."

"A punishment that ended as a blessing because that year he
won second place in the general elections. He obtained this
because of his speech to the Andean people."

"In that moment he had his first disagreement with the U.S.
Former U.S. Ambassador Manuel Rocha was against him."

"The U.S. has declared that it would support the next
Bolivian administration even if Evo Morales won, but the
White House's concern is a loud secret."
"After he voted on Sunday he demanded the U.S. President
withdraw its troops from Iraq and the military bases in
Latin America."

Ford