On the anniversary of a captive Bolivia, a proposed strategy to end the dictatorship there.

(Interamerican Institute for Democracy) This 6th of August is the 198th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Bolivia, today captive to a dictatorship that has supplanted it with a narco-plurinational State. The best tribute to the Bolivian homeland is to show there is a road ahead to recoup its freedom with a possible three-phase strategy to end the dictatorship there. 1. The acknowledgement that Bolivia is a dictatorship without democracy; 2. The return to democracy with the reinstatement of democracy’s essential components; 3. The establishment of a transitional government who will restore the Republic, end impunity, and propose federalism and parliamentarism as a way to govern.

1.- ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT BOLIVIA IS A DICTATORSHIP. The current government, basing itself on results of the 2020 elections presents the regime, and is internationally recognized, as a democracy based on a supposed “legitimacy of origin” that was granted by electoral results without permitting an investigation into allegations and complaints of electoral fraud. This stance was further consolidated by the candidates from the “functional opposition” who conceded their defeat and recognized Luis Arce – Evo Morales’ candidate- as the winner. Evo Morales had resigned from the presidency and had fled the country.

What identifies Bolivia as a dictatorship is that the government does not have “legitimacy to govern” because in Bolivia the essential components of democracy, established by Article 3 of the Interamerican Democratic Charter, are inexistent.

1. A. There is no respect for human rights and individual basic freedoms because there are over 280 political prisoners, most notorious among them are; former President Janine Añez, the Governor of Santa Cruz Luis Camacho, the Civic Leader of Potosi Marco Pumari, former Commanders of Police and the Armed Forces, young men, and women from throughout the country, all subjected to torture.

1.B. There is no “Rule of Law” because the Judicial System in Bolivia violates the people’s rights instead of protecting them, as proven by the text of the Plurinational Constitution that has ended the non-retroactivity of the law and abandoned Universal Suffrage concepts amongst others and has enabled for the legislation of “despicable laws” that violate human rights.

1.C. There is no “separation and independence of the branches of government” because -amongst other facts- the Judicial System is dependent of the dictatorship with which the dictatorship judicializes political persecution, exercises State-terrorism, and grants impunity to its members. The Legislative Branch is only a part of the simulation of democracy. It is a carbon copy of Cuba’s expanded into Venezuela, that proves moreover the surrendering of each homeland to foreign powers and the existence of non-domestic dictatorship therein.

1.D. It is not possible to hold “elections that are free, fair, and are based upon universal and secret suffrage concepts as an expression of the people’s sovereignty” because; the Voter Registry is counterfeited with an increase in the number of voters that is disproportional to the population growth, the regime has prevented the occurrence of a lawfully mandated National Census, running over its defenders such as the Department of Santa Cruz; because electoral authorities are subjected to the regime and are not impartial; because the Universal Suffrage has disappeared with the advent of the Plurinational Constitution that eliminates the citizens equality.

1.E. There is no “plurality of political parties and organizations” with over 8,000 political exiles, prisoners, persecuted, harassed, and disqualified. What there is, however, is a “functional opposition” comprised by politicians and political parties that are associated with the regime who they help sustain the façade of appearing to be democratic through their corruption and for their impunity.

2. RETURN TO DEMOCRACY WITH THE REINSTATEMENT OF DEMOCRACY’S ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS. If Bolivia were a democracy as is falsely presented and advertised, the path to change the government would be through elections. If Bolivia is a dictatorship what behooves us is to return to democracy with the reinstatement of its essential components whose inexistence there has been demonstrated. Under a dictatorship, the people have the “supreme right to rebel against tyranny and oppression” as outlined on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” History has shown that Bolivia has been able to get away from dictatorships. The desirable way is through a transitional process for which there is first a need to accept the fact that there is a dictatorship there and then go through the normalization of the minimal conditions of democracy.

3. ESTABLISH A TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT. The purpose of a true opposition is to get to power through elections and without the existence and use of the essential components of democracy, such possibility does not exist and elections are reduced to a façade, a farse, a charade that I call a “vote-catching dictatorship” wherein “people vote but do not elect.”

All dictators of the 21st Century Socialism in Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua know that in democratic elections they would lose and if that were to happen their impunity would end and they would end up being prosecuted and jailed for their crimes. This is why only one sole candidate from the true opposition must win the elections of 2025 in Bolivia and adopt a summarized government plan “to restore the Republic, end impunity, and allow the people to opt for federalism and parliamentarism.”

*Attorney & Political Scientist. Director of the Interamerican Institute for Democracy.

Translation from Spanish by Edgar L. Terrazas