By Chris Faure for the Saker Blog
Bolivia went to the polls yesterday for the first election since the coup d’état in November 2019, that removed Evo Morales from the leadership and from the country and put the country under a western backed right wing coup government. This coup was carried out for lithium, as Morales was developing the Lithium sector and had made agreements to start the long road to manufacturing batteries and electric vehicles. Elon Musk was accused of having had a hand in the coup (Lithium prices rose sharply a day or so before) and his comment was: “We will coup whoever we want. Get used to it!”
So for the past year, the notable members of Movement Towards Socialism (MAS), and IPSP, the party of Evo Morales, were in some cases massacred, persecuted and beaten. This did not stop them and they demanded elections. Having united into one Bloc, having inherited the gentle style of Morales and under new young, educated and committed leaders, they are now more powerful than ever before. The intervention from the usual suspects could not break through, despite a self-appointed president, despite the persecution, despite US intervention, the MAS is back and even more powerful. This is what a true majority of the people looks like.
Last night’s exit polls show that Bolivia’s Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) won the presidency in the 1st round with 52.4% of the vote. This is an even higher score than when Evo Morales won in 2019. According to exit polls data, 31.5% people voted for Carlos Mesa
Formal results will be announced on Wednesday, but it is clear that MAS won decisively. They also had put in place their own vote counting system that is iron clad. There were sporadic incidents of violence, the election observers were threatened and one of them was detained and Bolivians woke up on election morning with La Paz having been militarized by army and police to an almost ridiculous level. None of this scared off the MAS.
The Añez/Murillo/Mesa coup could take place a year ago because Evo Morales could not hold onto the loyalty of his military – they were open to bribery. The amazing thing that I saw following the election, is the clear move from military figures toward MAS. Perhaps the bribe money ran out, or they found that the promises by the coup government were only promises or perhaps they saw the wholesale looting of their country as soon as the coup goverment took over.
An hour ago, Evo Morales, who continued leading the growth of MAS from outside, had this to say:
Hermanas y hermanos: la voluntad del pueblo se ha impuesto.
Se ha producido una victoria contundente del MAS-IPSP. Nuestro movimiento político tendrá la mayoría en las dos cámaras. Hemos vuelto millones, ahora vamos a devolver la dignidad y la libertad al pueblo.#JallallaBolivia pic.twitter.com/gTHa6qRhTB— Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) October 19, 2020
Translation:
Sisters and brothers: the will of the people has prevailed. There has been a resounding victory for the MAS-IPSP. Our political movement will have the majority in both chambers. We have returned millions, now we are going to return dignity and freedom to the people.
The next few days are crucial.
The new President, Luis Arce Catacora (Lucho Arce), described this win as “We have regained our souls.”
Luis Arce served the Morales government as Minister of Economy.
The new leadership needs to consolidate, the votes need to be counted formally and correctly and the patriotic elements within the police & military must be consolidated, to ensure the US/Murillo don’t launch a second coup against the majority of Bolivians.
Ollie Vargas who continually stayed on the matter and on point with excellent reporting over the past year
The people won, against all the odds, the people still won. pic.twitter.com/aY7AmLkEWW
— Ollie Vargas (@OVargas52) October 19, 2020
May it be that little Bolivia have shown us the path of what it looks like when The People Unite and Win.
A message was sent: “Marco Rubio, come collect your puppets in Bolivia. They won’t make it out alive if they try rig the election now.”
Update : The sitting and de facto (self-elected) president Jeanine Añez Chaves just announced the following :
Congratulations!! Good news!!
Wow that’s fantastic. Maybe Bolivia can show us benighted Gringos the way
Excellent news will the US now recognise these results as legitimate or claim rigging, will they attempt another coup in the near future.
Hey folks, dont forget what happened in Ecuador… Correa’s party own but did not take.
So, next months will be crucial. Let watch out…
Excellent news for Bolivia.
But Lithium is a Red herring conspiracy.
Lithium prices have collapsed since 2018.
There are new sources being found everyday.
It is found in seawater. What Bolivia (and several other S American countries) have is concentrated salt brine which makes it cheaper to extract the lithium. But not an exclusive right to sell at extreme prices.
Also other metals are potentially better materials for the future, including Sodium (as in Sodium chloride – salt to you and me).
Lithium makes a great story about US exploitation, and the Elon Musk quote helps the story. But there is nothing to it.
They do have an exclusive right to sell by whatever price they wanted!
That’s free market!
I think you must go and look at the granular pricing days before the coup. There is something like denying the other party their place in the sun. This coup came shortly after Bolivia announced new contracts and loans from German industrialists to start building their own batteries, eventually electric cars and even airconditioners.
Yes, there is lithium, but easily mineable lithium? And follow up what the coup government did aftwerwards.
In short, a year ago China controlled the exploitation of most of the world’s lithium. The US started building mines as Trump declares lithium one of the crucial minerals for the country. Bolivia finds a deposit that makes it rival China. Coup d’etat in Bolivia.
Coup government cancels major contracts with German manufacturers and starts looting the Bolivian treasury.
Just adding agreement to the above statement. Elon Musk specifically stated at battery day recently that there is no need to invade countries for such a plentiful element as lithium. A decade from now I expect to see Tesla extracting lithium from Nevada using a new method involving nothing more than salt to extract the lithium from soil and then putting it back. Far more environmentally friendly than some current methods.
For anyone who has a decent understanding of Elon Musk and his company’s missions; they most definitely don’t support coups. Elon Musk was using his highly public position to alert his 20mil+ followers that the US goes around the place booting out unwanted governments. At least that is my read. He is a very cryptic fellow walking a very narrow line.
“We will coup whoever we want. Get used to it!” — Certainly cynical, but spoken in the collective first person, there seems to be a definite co-ownership, plus that he has a personal business interest in cheaper accessible lithium: I would say he did support this coup. To be cynical (doglike) to this extent means you really don’t care about a whole country that is in the process of rising out of poverty. Despite his brilliance, there is evil in this man.
It is not over until the fat lady sings. It’s not like the Rothschilds will voluntarily give up all that lithium.
lithium prices
https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/lithium
Lithium is the third most abundant element in the universe, after Hydrogen and Helium.
Nope, lithium is very rare because it is destroyed by stars in most circumstances instead of being produced. (Check the Wikipedia.)
Good news. Now close US Embassy and kick out all US sponsord NGOs.
100% agree, would add all their useful ID-10-T’s too
And renounce its OAS membership!
I am so happy to hear some good news for a change.
Of course, the regime changers won’t go quietly into the night. I am sure that they are working on propaganda, infiltration and overthrow as I type. Expect to see sanctions, “drug trafficking indictments” and mainstream media “exposes” on electoral fraud and so on and so on.
But the mere fact that this has even happened is proof that the Empire is inexorably losing its ability to control smaller nations.
Election’s won……………..surely sanctions will follow?
Cheers, M
Sean,
The funny thing is that the West’s hypocrisy is now so transparent that everyone knows that the election results will not be respected. Media articles about “election fraud” and so on are only a matter of time.
Every year, more and more people awaken to the fact that “democracy” in the West is a total fraud.
Eventually, the number of awakened people will hit critical mass and the whole thing will fall. I suspect that we are not that far away.
Yes ‘Mike’ and regarding ‘Regime Change’ closer to home:
Whatever the style of government … it cannot be worse than what we have now.
There are many scenarios in which the US is headed for conflict after the election. There are only two choices.
When a country reaches a point where no political figure can command the population and the breakdown of law and order is a threat to national security the choice is between a continued oligarcy (with the support of the military) or a military takeover. In the case of the USA that would make General Mark Alexander Milley Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff a major player. At 62 Milley is due to retire. Milley has sufficient medals to prevent his survival should he fall into a swimming pool. He is not alone in that regard as most high ranking US military officers would also suffer a similar fate most having never seen real combat.
The citizens of the US are suddenly understanding that In the absence of an international role for the military, they are unable to commit to maintaining a strong military. The presence of international threats makes the promises to the citizens more credible, This is why the present oligarcs and politicians are desperate to create an international conflict.
Should Milley take control would the US thus become, as with most failing empires, a ‘military dictatorship’ a military junta with Milley as President?
What then for the huge US arms industry? If the dollar fails so does the financial support for such. As the country burns can the military start another war? Unlikely as the military personnel would be more concerned for their pay and family survival regardless of the quantity and quality of the weapons systems available. They could not invade as it would require exactly such personnel. Would they start a nuclear war with another nuclear power? Unlikely as it would result in self-destruction even though the military are trained to administer death they are even more addicted and trained for their own survival.
What then with the (deep state) CIA and FBI whose control over the oligarchy/politicians was manifest yet over the military is not? They will become secondary to the power of the military as the majority of their budget will be so reallocated.
Consequently, societies in which oligarch regimes in the past have chosen large militaries may end up with military dictatorships. There is general consensus that non-democracies should typically have more military spending than democracies. As in the US the elite need to pay large sums to the military to stop a military takeover.
Everything depends on the US dollar maintaining its international value yet the present threats are manifestly obvious. Should the dollar fall oligarchs will move assets out of the US, funds to the military will fall, the payment to military personnel overseas will become insufficient, the bases will need to be recalled and there will be a ‘firesale’ of weapons.
All this points to ‘regime change’
.
Video on this matter: https://youtu.be/rR786qcBUaY or http://www.cowdisley.com/videos/coup.mp4
And illustrated html file of regime change. http://www.cowdisley.com/war/regimechange2.html
John, that is an interesting analysis. I, myself, have not factored in the possibility of a military coup. But you make good points, and it could happen.
My own take is this. The people who actually run this country (PWARC) have painted themselves into a corner.
If Biden is declared the winner, the Trump supporters will conclude that the system was rigged from day one. Trump supporters have lived through PWARC’s Russiagate Hoax, then their Ukrainegate Hoax and now their active suppression of the Hunter Biden Follies. Millions of Trump supporters will accurately conclude that America is not a democracy at all, and probably never has been. The only way for PWARC to gain their compliance will be by brute force. The deployment of brute force at home will further lessen the Empire’s ability to control foreign nations through brute force. Sovereignty movements, such as are happening in Bolivia, Venezuela and Iran, will expand to other nations.
On the other hand, if Trump is somehow allowed another term – the Empire is kaput. Trump will bully and blunder his way into alienating every other country on earth. I see the international oligarchs throwing up their hands at PWARC’s inability to control electoral outcomes. The international oligarchs will then cut the best deals they can with more credible actors on the international scene.
PWARC has no way out at this point. They created this problem through their own arrogance and unrestrained greed. Now they have to sit down to a banquet of consequences.
A little background on what has happened with the lithium.
https://www.kawsachuncoca.com/index.php/2012-12-24-07-26-10/agencia-abi/item/1052-the-fight-to-save-bolivia-s-lithium
While I’m delighted to see this – but I’m holding the celebration for a while. I can just hear Blubberman Pompeo , .’.we don’t recognise these elections ‘ and ‘ Arce is the only legitimate bla bla.bla….. Russian interference..bla….’
I don’t entirely understand why an election was necessary . Wasn’t it proven that Morales election was legitimate / there was no evidence of fraud ? Why then wasn’t Morales simply restored to his rightful place ?
He was forced to leave at threat of his life. He almost did not get out of the country and Mexico gave him short term asylum.
I’m not a Greenwald fan, but he did some work here.
https://theintercept.com/2020/07/23/the-u-s-supported-coup-in-bolivia-continues-to-produce-repression-and-tyranny-while-revealing-how-u-s-media-propaganda-works/
And then, if you search the Grayzone, they’ve done some work as well.
https://thegrayzone.com/
I did a quick search .. https://thegrayzone.com/?s=bolivia+coup
Thanks Amarynth,
I did know he was forced to leave and Mexico took him in. But it was since admitted, I believe, that there was nothing wrong with the election he won. I posed the question knowing he really wouldn’t be allowed back – but just to make the point that he was legitimately elected. In a ‘ rules based ‘ order he would still be president.
We must hop, as some one noted, that this won’t end up the same disappointment as Ecuador – it looks promising so far.
Great news! Thanks for this update Chris!
Whether or not lithium played a role in the 2019 coup, the restoration of a peoples’ government in Latin America, in defiance of Atlantic imperialists, is critical. This will bolster peoples’ movements across the continent, notably in Venezuela, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia. If the Chavistas can stabilize Venezuela in defiance of crippling economic warfare from across the Gulf, then Washington’s days lording over Latin America are truly numbered.
A quick update from Ollie Vargas
“Bolivia’s neoliberal candidate Carlos Mesa has accepted defeat & said that he’s now the ‘head of the opposition’.
(To which one rude interruption was heard .. “I thought the head of the opposition was the CIA” … and much laughter after that. )
Thats good news for the MAS, Mesa’s govt was overthrown in 2005 and he’s lost two presidential elections since. He’s one of the most unpopular people in the country.”
Chris Faure let me know that the joy knows no bounds. The singing and chanting has started … We showed you how with Evo .. Now you do it with Rafael Correa of Ecuador and for Brazil, Lula
It is great news. Sometimes I’m too negative and can hardly believe when something good happens ! Ok – Ecuador and Brazil next.
As Tyson B says,
onward and upward !
“we will coup whoever we want, get used to it” as if Musk was talking as the official voice of the USA.
Musk meant Israel, the Zionists, the Jews…will coup whoever they want through their USA puppet. ‘get used to it!’
No, mr Droy.
Any easy prey, any defenceless asset is a treasury as centuries of anglozionist looting have proved to exhaustion. In the past the spanish caravelas loaded mountains of silver across the ocean.
Lithium is so valuable that the rapacious imperial gang swiftly ran for it right upon the coup. Let them lick the wounds now.
The landslide victory is the triumph over a sinking empire.
La victoria de nuestra America.
Remember this lady in Bolivia, well, she’s back ( she has a twitter account, too)
https://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/370397-patricia-arce-elegida-senadora-bolivia
The corrupt and corporatist-fascist Bolivian Army and its USA/OAS supporters will decide how long Arce gets to be president. I’m guessing his presidency can be measured in weeks. Maybe this time Camacho won’t be satisfied with being power behind the throne.
Excelent news, apparently.
“Apparently” because this outcome have the agreement of American embassy (Luis Arce is in the right side of MAS).
But it’s not impossible that the new Bolivian president became a soft Lenin Moreno.
Treason against the people is everywhere.
Now first reform: to get rid of an awful name as Bolivia… Bolivar was a masonic genocidal criminal financed by the British Crown, a traitor whose role was to dismember the Spanish Empire in America, which has caused unending suffering to the people living in LatinoAmérica. Stop naming places and things commemorating this despicable mofo, and find a beautiful and suitable name in Aymara.
Given the experience of Ecuador – when Lenin Moreno, Correa’s VP completely abandoned former principles and took a sharp turn to the right, supplicating to the Empire, throwing Assange to the wolves, following a policy dictated by Washington – one should be cautious to see how the MAS government proceeds.
Recall the coup Government already made several foreign policy position changes favorable to the Empire, signed deals etc. To see how the MAS deals with it and governs.
I am very happy that the popular, socialist and humanist path of President Evo Morales has won – viva la revolucion! Here, I shall give a brief illustration of why South America and its popular governments are important far beyond their borders.
In April 2009, funded by the pro-American ultra-Catholic right wing landowners and anti-Evo politicians (e.g. Croat Branko Marinkovic) from the province of Santa Cruz, a gang of five mercenaries (two Hungarians, two Croats and an Irishman) was infiltrated into the province with the aim of assassinating president Morales. Fortunately, the Bolivarian militia was vigilant and in the skirmish that ensued killed three and arrested two assassins. One of those killed had a florid name of Eduardo Rozsa-Flores.
The Bolivians had no knowledge of this character’s previous life but I did. The would-be liberator of Bolivia on behalf of the CIA and the Vatican was no deluded adventurer. Rather, as the Bolivians soon discovered, he was the first volunteer in the first Croatian neo-Ustashe international battalion which fought for a couple of years in Slavonia and took part in the crimes against Serb civilians. ERF was particularly zealous (carrying a large cross with him when going into battle and killing a number of fellow legionnaires). For his wonderful performance on and off the battlefield, he was granted Croatian citizenship and the rank of colonel.
An interesting tidbit that this rabid hater of the Serbs and president Morales was not a born Roman Catholic but as his name indicates (Flores = Blum), Jewish – the only child of a left-wing Jewish artist. That aside, I had the pleasure of thanking president Morales and his forces for ridding the world of a worthless scumbag. May president Evo’s victory last forever!
Ken,
I had read something about him before – I forget where – brutal mercenaries will always be recruited for these kind of dirty games.
I’m thrilled at the result – but a bit freaked out that the opposition seems to have graciously accepted defeat. I’m remembering how no matter how many times Chaves won, or how many election monitors confirmed the result, it was always contested / not recognised.
May we dare hope this example will inspire Brazil and Ecuador ? I’d love to think so.
Dear sandinED,
Thank you. I have absolutely no idea whether this victory will result in something more permanent. As long as the US is the boss there and Russia and China are reluctant (probably rightly) to foment open rebellion against them, the prospects for the popular movements of Latin America are dim (or grim?). You’re right to point out Chavez.
In my opinion things will change only when someone from the outside offers real, tangible and non-suicidal ways of challenging the hegemon. We might have to wait awhile.
Anyone who wants to see the curriculum vitae of the runner-up in the Bolivian elections, the neoliberal Carlos Mesa, can download this book:
Biografía no autorizada de Carlos D. Mesa Gisbert
(15 MB, 257 pages)
I’m not sure that the “people” inside Kremlin are happy how it turned out.
https://www.pravdareport.com/world/144056-bolivia/
Absolutely wonderful. We need to take an example from these brave people. We have a similar situation I my country’ ‘Regime change’ initiated by the iniquitous Trump government with the aid of that villanious organisation.
Unfortunately, we do not have leaders of the calibre of the Bolivians
That is such good news. Deep respect for the grit and courage of the Bolivians. They can hopefully now stop the pillaging of their resources and improve the lives of all of their citizens.
It is great news, but everyone should be aware this is only the start
The forces of reaction will try to return and have the most powerfull super power in the world as their masters
After all it was the Bolivian army that assinated Che Guevara on the insistance of the US
Veneceramos Power to the Bolivian People Freedom for Maduro and his nation
Final Count :
The vote count in Bolivia is officially over. The Movement Towards Socialism has won with a larger margin than in the historic victory of 2005.
A defeat for the US govt, a defeat for neoliberal economics, a defeat for the fascist paramilitary groups that stole our vote in 2019.
https://twitter.com/OVargas52/status/1319627326586523650
“They had the state, the media & the US government. Bolivians had social movements. Social movements won.”