Bolivia’s Foreign Minister, David Choquehuanca, stopped in Spain on an official trip en route to Copenhagen. He met with Spanish officials and also took the opportunity to campaign and ask for the vote of the Bolivian residents living there. To that end, he described the accomplishments achieved by the government of Evo Morales within the country and the improvements for Bolivian residents living abroad.
Regarding the electoral platform, which is nominating the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party with Evo Morales as its leader, Choquehuanca emphasized the next big challenge: the industrialization of the country. Bolivia, he explained, “has to stop working in order to move toward manufacturing and to that end we are looking for partners and not employers.” He insisted that the companies that invest in the country will be given legal guarantees and noted the particular interest that Holland and Norway have shown in working with this project.
With respect to projections of the election results, Choquehuanca predicted an absolute majority for the MAS project and took stock of the Evo Morales-led administration, emphasizing that this undertaking was more than just political. “It is a life’s work,” he said, “and it is a project that seeks to dignify and to nurture the self-esteem of the people of Bolivia.”
He listed some of the reasons why Bolivians should vote for the Movement for Socialism (MAS), and he emphasized the enactment of the New Constitution which gives equal rights to all citizens of the country. Others included the elimination of illiteracy and the progress of the nation’s health care. He explained in detail the reasons for the nationalization of certain businesses and how this decision has benefited the population through the Renta Dignidad (universal pension), the Bono Juancito Pinto (economic support for families in exchange for their child’s regular school attendance), etc.
On the matter of accomplishments achieved for Bolivian residents living abroad, coinciding with this trip he signed a framework agreement between the Embassy and the Bar Association to facilitate legal assistance for those Bolivian citizens who cannot pay for it on their own. The Embassy and the Bar Association will collaborate indefinitely so that this measure can be carried out. The Foreign Minister also took the opportunity to inaugurate the new consulate, which will be able to better serve its citizens.
The Foreign Minister also participated in a concert in which Spanish artists and intellectuals demonstrated their support for the process of Evo Morales and MAS that is taking place in Bolivia.
And Mr. Choquehuanca’s packed agenda did not leave out a meeting with Miguel Ángel Moratinos, the Spanish Foreign Minister, to advance matters related to their common economic interests and to the situation of Bolivians in Spain, among other items.
*(Translation: T. M. Orzolek)*
