OPPOSITION ABANDONS CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 003368 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/13/2016 TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL BL SUBJECT: OPPOSITION ABANDONS CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY REF: A. LA PAZ 3204 ¶B. LA PAZ 3222 ¶C. LA PAZ 3224 Classified By: Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ). ¶1. (C) Due to the increasing intransigence of President Morales' Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) and its refusal to negotiate on the voting mechanism in the Constituent Assembly (CA),96 opposition delegates (Podemos, National Unity-UN, Leftist Revolutionary Movement-MIR and the Road to Change-CC) abandoned the Assembly December 13 until further notice. An opposition delegate told poloff that MAS leaders have "closed off any possibility of dialogue" and that MAS delegate Ramon Loaiza told opposition party leaders that the MAS will approve Bolivia's new constitution without them. UN leader Doria Medina said December 13 that the opposition "can't do anything until the MAS changes its attitude," and that the opposition decided "not to be a part of this farce." ¶2. (C) Comment: While opposition delegates say they'll return to the CA if the MAS initiates a true dialogue, the MAS has given no indication to date that it will give any ground. Moreover, it seems that the opposition could be setting itself up for a repeat of what happened last month in congress when the MAS passed several controversial bills in the opposition's absence (reftels). Although the legalities are unclear, it would appear that the MAS can meet the Assembly's quorum of 128 delegates and begin making constitutional changes. If the opposition permanently abandons the Assembly, the MAS may even be able to approve the final draft constitution, given that the convoking legislation requires the approval of two-thirds of delegates present. In short, barring an unimaginable act of generosity on the part of the GOB, the opposition may have set themselves up to be absent while the MAS approves its ideal constitution, however suspect such a document would be. End comment. GOLDBERG