Bolivian President Morales Resigns
On Sunday, Evo Morales, the first indigenous president of Bolivia, resigned from office. He did so after suddenly losing the support of both the military and police force, and after a possible botched election sparked protests. Other officials were ousted, including Bolivia’s vice president, Alvaro Garcia, and both heads of congress. Jeanine Añez, another member of congress, claims that she should be named interim president due to the massive political fallout.
Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.
Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for Bolivian President Morales Resigns
Links
“Bolivia crisis: 5 things to know”
https://www.dw.com/en/bolivia-crisis-5-things-to-know/a-51196627
“Morales denounces ‘illegal’ warrant for arrest as supporters ‘burn opponents’ houses’”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/bolivia-latest-evo-morales-resignation-coup-la-paz-protest-military-fire-house-a9198211.html
“Bolivia’s La Paz braces for violence as Morales supporters march on city”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bolivia-election/morales-exit-in-bolivia-sparks-night-of-violence-political-vacuum-idUSKBN1XL1DT?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
“Who’s Jeanine Anez, the Woman Now in Charge of Bolivia?”
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201911111077281485-whos-jeanine-anez-the-woman-now-in-charge-of-bolivia/
“Political Vacuum in Bolivia as Morales Announces Resignation”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/political-vacuum-bolivia-morales-announces-resignation-191111043447380.html
“Evo Morales Finally Went Too Far for Bolivia”
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/11/evo-morales-finally-went-too-far-bolivia/601741/
“Corbyn’s response to Bolivia shows how the left continues to fetishize socialism in Latin America”
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/evo-morales-bolivia-protests-corbyn-president-police-labour-socialism-a9198256.html
“The Trump Administration is Undercutting Democracy in Bolivia”
https://www.thenation.com/article/bolivia-election-oas/
Assessment
- Writing: Describe the role of the OAS in determining the integrity and validity of democratic elections in Latin America. What evidence was used to determine that Morales had, in fact, manipulated votes in the 2019 Presidential election in Bolivia.
- Debate: There is little actual evidence of electoral fraud. Thus, Morales was legitimately elected. What we are witnessing is a successful coup d’etat rather than a resignation.
- Poll: Is Morales the rightful democratically elected leader? Or has he become an authoritarian dictator?
- Short Answer: What does Morales’ abrupt departure mean for the future of Bolivia?
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