Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06LAPAZ3061
2006-11-14 21:48:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy La Paz
Cable title:  

CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY- VOTING ON VOTING

Tags:  ECON PGOV PREL BL 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 003061 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/14/2016
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL BL
SUBJECT: CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY- VOTING ON VOTING


Classified By: Ecopol Counselor Andrew Erickson for reason 1.4 (b).

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 003061

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/14/2016
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL BL
SUBJECT: CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY- VOTING ON VOTING


Classified By: Ecopol Counselor Andrew Erickson for reason 1.4 (b).


1. (SBU) After months of stalemate, the Constituent Assembly
(CA) will take up its final pending rule of order-- its
voting mechanism-- November 14-15. Morales' Movement Toward
Socialism (MAS) party has publicly declared that if it cannot
reach consensus with the opposition on its "mixed proposal,"
which purports to give the opposition a two-thirds vote on
controversial measures, it will go forward with approval of a
majority vote for all constitutional changes.


2. (SBU) Six opposition political parties support a
two-thirds vote, including Podemos and the National Unity
(UN) parties. Several opposition party representatives have
already filed an action with the Constitutional Tribunal
questioning the legality of articles 1 (which declared the CA
plenipotentiary) and 71 (which deals with the voting
mechanism, based on the MAS' use of a simple majority for
procedural votes to date) of the rules of order. The civic
committees of the "media luna," the departments of Santa
Cruz, Tarija, Beni and Pando, have declared their support for
the lawsuit.


3. (C) Comment: The MAS has given its CA representatives
through mid-week to reach consensus with the opposition.
However, at the MAS party congress this weekend (septel),
President Morales criticized MAS CA delegate Raul Prada for
negotiating with the opposition, and removed him as the
party's leader for the La Paz department in the Assembly,
thus calling the MAS' true intentions into question. The
vote on the voting mechanism for constitutional changes is
critical-- it may be the opposition's last real chance to
impact Bolivia's new constitution. If the MAS pushes through
its "mixed proposal," which essentially provides for a
majority vote, it could gain carte blanche for defining
Bolivia's political, economic and social future. At the very
least, a MAS win on the voting mechanism will undermine the
legitimacy of the Constituent Assembly, and risks generating
further civil unrest from a disgruntled and disenfranchised
opposition. End comment.
GOLDBERG