BOLIVIA: Evo Morales launches re-election campaign

Record ID: 347928

  • Title: BOLIVIA: Evo Morales launches re-election campaign
  • Date: 26th July 2014
  • Summary: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (JULY 25, 2014) (REUTERS) MAS (MOVEMENT TO SOCIALISM) POLITICAL PARTY SUPPORTERS AT CAMPAIGN RALLY POSTER FOR EVO MORALES FOR RE-ELECTION VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS AT RALLY COCA LEADER AND EX-SENATOR LEONILDA ZURITA PLACING GARLAND OF COCA LEAVES ON CANDIDATES PRESIDENT EVO MORALES AND VICE-PRESIDENT ALVARO GARCIA LINERA SUPPORTERS WAVING FLAGS AT RALLY MORALE
  • Embargoed: 10th August 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Bolivia, Plurinational State Of
  • Country: Bolivia
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA1MKK29E044I96AZFINMR7M5Y5
  • Story Text: Bolivian President Evo Morales launched his re-election campaign on Friday (July 25) with a rally in the capital city of La Paz.
    Tens of thousands of supporters waved banners and MAS (Movement to Socialism) political party flags to show their support for the South American nation's first indigenous president.
    "Accompany us on this campaign. Some will say that it's a vote for Evo (Morales). Yes, they will vote for president Evo but, if we notice, the vote is for you. Being president and being a government, together, we will show how to govern," Morales told the crowd.
    In the October 12 vote, the former coca leader will seek his third term. While the constitution limits presidents to two consecutive terms, a Bolivian court ruled that Morales' first term-- which began in 2005-- should not count towards the term limit because term limits were not adopted until 2009.
    During Morales' presidency, he has nationalized the hydrocarbon industry and the GDP (gross national product) has tripled from USD 9.57 million in 2005 to USD 30.6 million in 2013.
    "If politically we refounded Bolivia, economically we did nationalizations and recovered our natural resources. That has changed the national economy and the Bolivian image throughout the world. And, socially, we redistributed wealth," he added.
    A staunch critic of the United States, Morales is an ally of Cuba and Venezuela.
    Bolivia is one of the hemisphere's poorest countries but 2 million Bolivians were lifted out of extreme poverty during Morales' time in office.
    "MAS is the only political movement that guarantees economic stability. It's the only political movement that guarantees social and political stability," he said.
    According to an Ipsos poll, 41 percent of voters said they would vote for Morales while only 12 percent said they would vote for the nearest rival, Samuel Doria Media.
    Morales said the MAS political party was growing among young people.
    "Thanks to these kinds of gatherings, there's not only confidence in this political movement, but hope. I've seen so many young people join (the movement) now. I was asking myself, 'Why do they join?' They join because there's a plan, the Patriotic Agenda, which looks ahead to 2025," Morales said.
    Historically, Bolivia has been one of the world's most unstable countries, with an average of over 2.5 coup d'etats per year since it became a country.
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