“Bolivia is experiencing the worst disaster because the return of democracy”

In a Bolivia rocked by protests in June 2005, Eduardo Rodriguez Veltzé (68), was President of the Supreme Courtroom. After the resignation of President Carlos Mesa attributable to violent protests all through the nation, Congress appointed Rodríguez Veltzé as Head of State for a interval of six months with the goal of calling new elections. These had been the primary elections he gained Evo Morales.

In 2013, Rodríguez Veltzé was appointed by Evo Morales to characterize Bolivia towards Chile earlier than the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice in The Hague for a Bolivian exit from the ocean. At the moment, in response to the request of Clarioninsured Bolivia “lives the worst disaster because the return of democracy”insists that the President Luis Arce It should deliver collectively all political forces and former presidents to succeed in a consensus.

He additionally remembers how, in his few months in workplace, he resolved a battle with a basic and criticizes that Arce went beneath to oppose the navy within the Palacio Quemado, in the course of the riots on Wednesday.

-What conclusions do you draw from final week's coup try?

-It was nothing greater than a failed insubordination, and what comes after that’s an try to put in a story that it was a coup or one thing else. The one factor that can obtain is to create much more doubt within the inhabitants and the worldwide neighborhood about what actually occurred. .

– Will the financial disaster be overcome now that the navy coup is over?

– Extra necessary than this failed coup is the financial disaster, the disaster that affects the wallets of Bolivians. The chance that they’ve certainty about their financial state of affairs is important. It isn’t the spectacle that they needed to point out.

-How is Bolivia doing right now?

-There may be an financial disaster, a judicial disaster, there’s a legislative disaster attributable to this lack of full functioning of the Legislative Meeting, which has additionally been mutilated by selections of the Constitutional Judiciary to make management efficient by means of interpellations. Lastly, we even have an electoral disaster, since there’s uncertainty concerning the judicial elections, the conduct of the primaries and an electoral calendar with uncertainties.

-How do you get out of this essential state of affairs?

-I encourage President Luis Arce to name for a accountable, pluralistic and participatory political dialogue to face one of the critical crises we’ve skilled because the restoration of democracy. They have to name on Evo, Mesa, whoever leads Podemos (opposition celebration), the political forces with parliamentary illustration and citizen actors in an open, pluralistic manner, as a result of the disaster doesn’t enable anybody to really feel just like the bearer of knowledge or the answer. It’s clear that this can be a a lot larger drawback that goes past the non-public electoral claims of Arce, Morales or different candidates. Bolivia is experiencing the worst disaster because the restoration of democracy 42 years in the past. We already had a really troublesome time in 19, when one other navy coup known as for Evo Morales to resign from energy. Right here the sense of the pursuits of the folks and never of the celebration or private curiosity should prevail.

-Bolivia is likely one of the international locations with essentially the most coups. How are you going to work to stop this?

-The armed forces on this nation are a pressure that must be reviewed. I’m satisfied that we have to reform the situations of coexistence with the armed forces, which have posed a everlasting risk.

-Is it one thing that may be reviewed in the midst of a disaster?

-I consider that these crises which have occurred in Bolivia open up constitutive moments, that’s, alternatives not just for the political and ruling class to replicate, but in addition for residents. The urgency shouldn’t be solely to vary some provisions of the Structure itself, but in addition basic legal guidelines. That is explicitly the case, for instance, on the difficulty of presidential re-election. The shortage of readability within the constitutional textual content and within the judicial selections that when indicated that it was a proper that allowed re-election. Then successive judgments that didn’t make clear something, the advisory opinion, and so on. We’d like certainties. The identical goes for hyper-presidentialism and natural changes which have necessary constitutional or authorized roots that needs to be modified. However for all this, political consensus is required.

-Throughout his brief time period in workplace he was compelled to hunt dialogue.

-It was the one instrument I had at my disposal to take care of a disaster that was not free from outbreaks. I used to be touched by an occasion that jogged my memory strongly of what occurred on the 26th, when, throughout my mandate, I needed to take the choice to take away the Military Commander, Basic Antezana, from his duties. I did so instantly after which, virtually robotically, appointed his successor.

– Do you suppose President Arce acted nicely within the face of the navy coup?

-I’m nonetheless shocked by the delay that President Arce had in suspending or dismissing this commander. And never solely that: when the rebel goes to the palace, Arce Catacora leaves his workplace and goes to meet up with him to speak to this rebel basic. It appears to me that this was an unlucky choice that calls into query the safety mechanisms of the presidency. Based mostly on my very brief expertise, I consider president ought to honor his inauguration and respect himself and never go to shake palms with an rebel who’s on the street with tanks, a lot much less speak to him. Frankly, I discover this episode very unlucky.