ACCORD REACHED ON CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY VOTING RULES

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 000436 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/16/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON BL SUBJECT: ACCORD REACHED ON CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY VOTING RULES Classified By: Ecopol Counselor Andrew Erickson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) After MAS delegates approved their own proposal for the Constituent Assembly's voting system on February 13, MAS leadership allowed its delegates to return to the negotiating table and to compromise on their position late February 14. Under the modified agreement, constitutional changes will require a two-thirds vote before July 2; articles that fail to obtain two-thirds approval by that time will be sent to a "consensus commission" comprised of party leaders and delegates who drafted the article. The consensus commission will debate majority and minority proposals for the article with the objective of reaching an agreement that will garner approval of two-thirds of the CA's delegates. If consensus cannot be reached, contested articles will be voted on via a public referendum in which voters will choose between the majority and minority proposals for each article. This February 14 agreement received 201 "yes" votes and seventeen "no" votes, with 29 abstentions. National Unity (UN) and many PODEMOS delegates supported the agreement. ¶2. (C) Comment: Embassy contacts in Sucre report that this breakthrough came as a result of a telephone call from Vice President Garcia Linera instructing his party's delegates to make the deal. Whatever the motivation, the deal provides a rare example of the MAS ceding a hard-line position in the interest of consensus. This vote on the voting mechanism breaks a six and a half-month deadlock in the CA and will enable it to begin its real work-- drafting a new constitution. The big question now is whether the MAS will work with the opposition to approve the new constitution before July 2, or whether it will stonewall and take its chances with a public referendum, which most believe it can still win. End Comment. GOLDBERG