MAS CONGRESS: SIGNS OF RADICALIZATION

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SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2016
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL BL
SUBJECT: MAS CONGRESS: SIGNS OF RADICALIZATION


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


1. (C) Summary: At its annual congress in Cochabamba November
11-13, President Morales' Movement Toward Socialism (MAS)
party re-elected Morales as the party leader, after which he
chastised the party for infighting. The congress then
decided to tighten party discipline and declare that MAS
politicians are subservient to social organizations. As
Morales struggles to gain political control over the diverse
interests of his party, he appears to be moving further away
from democratic principles and closer to an authoritarian
approach to party governance and discipline. End summary.

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STOP BICKERING AND SHOW YOUR MAS PARTY CARD
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2. (SBU) At its annual congress in Cochabamba November
11-13, President Morales' Movement Toward Socialism (MAS)
party re-elected Morales as the party leader, a position he
has held since 1999. In his opening speech, Morales
chastised his party for its political infighting and
criticized party members for opportunistically seeking GOB
jobs. Morales said that he will not give in to these
pressures, and noted that internal fighting is "one of our
weaknesses." At the same time, however, Morales asked MAS
party members to help identify federal workers who "prejudice
the government," saying "that type of worker has to go."
Morales declared that the GOB wants people who are "faithful
to the changes in Bolivia" and called for the resignation of
all local government officials who do not support GOB
policies. (Note: Press reports have stated that MAS officials
have begun "examining" public offices to verify that
government officials are active MAS members. End note).

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TIGHTENING THE REINS
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3. (SBU) The congress also issued a proclamation intended to
tighten party discipline, stating that MAS deputies and
Constituent Assembly (CA) representatives who do not follow
MAS principles will be sent to the MAS ethics commission or
"honor tribunal" to be sanctioned. In his speech, Morales
called certain MAS members of congress "traitors" (also
lumping former President Rodriguez into this category,
presumably for the MANPADS transfer). In less than a week,
the MAS has expelled two members of congress from its ranks--
Guillermo Beckar for publicly accusing Morales' minister of
public works of corruption, and Victor Mena for allegedly
organizing the latest round of mining protests (and for
defending the private mining sector). Morales accused the
two of a "lack of discipline and disloyalty." The MAS leader
in the lower house, Cesar Navarro, echoed Morales'
statements, saying the MAS must prevent its deputies from
offering their individual opinions. While Beckar has
declared himself independent, Mena said publicly that the
incident was a misunderstanding and that he'll do what it
takes to regain Morales' confidence. One opposition member
said the MAS proclamation is just another sign that the MAS'
elected representatives have neither voice nor vote.

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SOCIAL SECTORS TO CALL THE SHOTS
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4. (SBU) The MAS congress also declared the subservience of
MAS politicians to social organizations, stating that such
organizations will now control the Constituent Assembly. The
MAS declared that its primary goal is to pressure the CA to
ensure social and political change and instituted a new rule
that MAS CA delegates must give monthly reports to social
sectors. MAS leaders threatened to demonstrate if the
opposition does not want "to advance democratic practices."

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The opposition, in response, publicly criticized the MAS for
"compromising the independence of the CA."

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COMMENT: SIGNS OF RADICALIZATION
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5. (C) As Morales struggles to gain political control over
the diverse interests of his party, he appears to be moving
further away from democratic principles and closer to an
authoritarian playbook (see septel on the MAS' posture
regarding the Constituent Assembly). By catering to the
demands of social organizations, he has implicitly endorsed a
potential role by the mob, with the democratically-elected
government presumably calling the shots from behind the
scenes through manipulation of social sector organizations
who would assert "discipline" over individual party members.
However, President Morales' rhetoric is not always consistent
with his subsequent follow-up, nor is his ability to control
events. His curious decision to expel Victor Mena from the
MAS for Mena's support of the very social sector
organizations the MAS claims as its ultimate leadership
demonstrates the schizophrenia of the president's position.
By this analysis, Morales appears to be engaged in a delicate
balancing act with social organizations, some of which he
controls, others which he does not. He wants to use the
sectors he controls to assert dominance over his party, but
he will maintain the last word. End comment.
GOLDBERG