Bolivian President warns of unrest as right-wing demands early census
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Bolivian President Luis Arce warns that the country is "once again threatened by those who, unable to contribute to democracy, bet on confrontation and violence."
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President Luis Arce, La Paz, Bolivia, November 1, 2022 (Twitter/@LuchoXBolivia)
The Bolivian President Luis Arce warned on Tuesday that far-right conservative politicians who seek to repeat a coup d'état are fomenting violence in Santa Cruz's civic strike.
"Today, Bolivia is once again threatened by those who, unable to contribute to democracy, bet on confrontation and violence," he denounced.
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"Only the People have an authentic democratic conviction because they know that they are the majority," Arce said during the inauguration ceremony of the new military commanders.
"The place of the Armed Forces is with its people, who have expressed their will to live together in peace and democracy. Their obligation is to defend the legally constituted government," Arce said.
LA MARCHA DE SAN JULIAN CON DESTINO A SANTA CRUZ
— BoliviaLibre 🇧🇴🕊 (@BoliviaLibreNow) November 1, 2022
Marcha de los pobladores del municipio de San Julián se encaminan, en marcha pacífica, hacia Santa Cruz de la Sierra, en contra del Paro Cívico y exige la renuncia del gobernador de Santa Cruz, Luis Fernando Camacho. pic.twitter.com/ZMMQK0e0Hy
The tweet reads, "San Julian's residents march peacefully towards Santa Cruz de la Sierra. They are against the civic strike and demand the resignation of Santa Cruz governor Luis Fernando Camacho."
The socialist leader then cited the notion held by far-right politicians that a nation only has democracy "when the majority of Bolivians give in to their interests."
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Governor Luis Fernando Camacho of Santa Cruz and other conservatives have been advocating for the regional strike to demand that the Population and Housing Census be conducted in 2023, despite the Arce administration's 2024 schedule.
A spokesman for the president, Jorge Richter, reaffirmed that the Bolivian government is ready to begin talks with social actors right away to determine a date for the census.
