Andean Group - 8 February 2005
Headlong rush to grant regional autonomy in Bolivia
President Carlos Mesa's acceptance of the rebellion in Santa Cruz has embarked Bolivia upon a hasty, and inevitably messy, adoption of departmental autonomy - the terms for which have so far been set only by the Cruceño business élite. The constitution will have to be amended at full speed to meet a tight, improvised electoral calendar, which includes a referendum that assumes a partially predetermined result: approval of a still unknown system to devolve powers upon new regional authorities.
President Carlos Mesa's acceptance of the rebellion in Santa Cruz has embarked Bolivia upon a hasty, and inevitably messy, adoption of departmental autonomy - the terms for which have so far been set only by the Cruceño business élite. The constitution will have to be amended at full speed to meet a tight, improvised electoral calendar, which includes a referendum that assumes a partially predetermined result: approval of a still unknown system to devolve powers upon new regional authorities.
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