Evo Morales’ Victory and Democracy in Bolivia

This Sunday, December 6th, Bolivia held elections for President and members of Congress. Evo Morales, with the extraordinary financial resources of Chávez’s petrodollars, won again by a wide margin. Morales’ first election was openly backed by those petrodollars, although his victory then was not as sound as this one. Thus, there is justified concern among the democratic governments in the region and those who in these countries worry seriously about the cause of freedom because of this victory of Evo Morales that entrenches a dictatorship, although it be disguised as democracy.

The concern of the true democrats of the continent should go beyond what this concern itself implies, to turn it into procedures that tend to strengthen democracy, beginning with an in depth study about the methods of their enemies. These methods are disguised in such a way that confuses many people and minimizes fear for what those enemies represent. In these situations that are showing up in the Americas there is a well-defined threat – although under different names – of a Twenty-first Century communism. Under the protections of this movement, dictatorships are consolidating that describe themselves as “Twenty-first Century Socialism” but which, in the fundamental, are communism adapted to the circumstances of the times. And this is a very dangerous communism because the way in which it behaves confuses people of good will more than in the past. Among those people of good will there are those who, although not being ignorant, do now know the methods that the communists use to conquer power.

Bolivia’s political situation is not solved at all with this election and the victory of Evo Morales. There is an opposition formed by sensible people who are conscious of what the fundamental values of the Bolivian nationality represent. There is more than one important region of the country that is fighting to prevent that demagoguery and rampant populism might eliminate the basic concepts of freedom and democracy in this Andean nation.

Hopefully, this important sector of sensible Bolivian citizens and leaders will know how to act firmly and skillfully to prevent that Morales’ victory totally destroys the hopes for a democratic recovery in the country.