A Historic Victory in Bolivia

Bolivians celebrate the presidential election victory which returned the MAS party to power  Photo by Santiago Sito 

Fireworks exploded across the night sky in the Bolivian capital of La Paz on Sunday evening, October 18th, as the projected results came through showing a near-landslide victory for the left-wing Movimiento al socialismo (MAS) and its presidential candidate, Luis Arce, in the country’s national elections.

After nearly a year of political repression and a government mired in corruption scandals, the message was clear. Democracy had returned to Bolivia, and it was in the hands of the MAS. The election results are a clear repudiation of the revanchist neoliberal project launched by Bolivia’s far-right elites, who sought to recoup power after 14 years of the MAS. read more