By Franz Chávez
LA PAZ, Dec 7 2006 (IPS)

On the eve of the second summit of the South American Community of Nations in Bolivia, host President Evo Morales is facing a hunger strike by some 1,000 members of the opposition – including governors and lawmakers – who are protesting the ruling party’s decision to require a simple majority vote for approval of amendments to the constitution.

The rightwing opposition parties are gaining strength for the first time in three years, mobilising hundreds of people who back the conservative Poder Democrático y Social (Podemos) coalition, which is demanding a stronger voice in the constituent assembly that is rewriting the constitution.

Since protests brought down former president Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada in October 2003, the rightwing parties steadily lost ground to the ruling Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party, which garnered 53.7 percent of the vote in the December 2005 presidential elections and won 137 of the 255 seats in the constituent assembly in July.

Along with its allies, the MAS commands a majority of 150 seats in the assembly, while the opposition parties hold only 105.

But pro-business civic committees from the four opposition-controlled “departments” (provinces) – Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando and Tarija – and their governors elected in July have brought new strength to the right.

Over the past few weeks, they have been leading a hunger strike movement to push for the requirement of a two-thirds majority to approve changes to the constitution, as stipulated in the law that convened the constituent assembly, which was promulgated by Morales himself.

The local press reported that no one was hurt and that the police quickly gained control of the situation.

“I will tell the world what has happened,” Dabdoub said after returning to Santa Cruz. “We cannot tolerate the intolerance of a small group of people who were armed with dynamite.”

Lechín Weisse, meanwhile, announced that he had gone into hiding and would continue his fast.

The eviction of the hunger strikers was the first raid carried out in democracy in Bolivia in a church that has a tradition of being used to mount political protests. A few hours later, stones were thrown at the ombudsman’s office by unknown perpetrators.

Vice-President Álvaro García Linera said “We have not instructed any member of our party to mobilise and attack or interrupt a democratic, peaceful protest, and would never do so.”

But in response to the violent eviction, 43 Podemos legislators occupied Congress Wednesday and announced that they were joining the fast.

They also accused minister of the interior Alicia Muñoz of “criminal negligence” and said they would call her in for formal questioning.

Muñoz had played down the incident in the church, and said the police had more important things to do than watch over hunger strikers.

Bishop Jesús Juárez said the eviction of Lechín Weisse and his fellow fasters undermined freedom of expression and dissent.

Political analyst and former governor Carlos Hugo Molina told IPS from Santa Cruz that the breakup of the hunger strikers’ protest in the church violated the democratic principle of peaceful protest that was even respected during times of dictatorship in Bolivia.

“It was a clumsy error on the part of the ministry of the interior that was not in line with the necessary protection that citizens must receive, and the protest is a reaction to the lack of clear messages on the constituent assembly’s voting rules, which departmental autonomy depends on,” he said.

Bolivia’s wealthier, opposition-controlled eastern provinces are pushing for greater autonomy from the rest of the country.

University Professor Joaquín Saravia told IPS that the government should engage in negotiations aimed at reaching agreements with the opposition parties, at the risk of fuelling the growth of a current that continues to gain support, and warned that the civic committee in Santa Cruz was getting louder in its calls for autonomy.

Army chief Freddy Bersatti told the local press that the army was in a state of emergency due to threats of territorial division.

The government says that while the articles of the new constitution will be approved by a simple majority, a special majority could be required for the most controversial changes.

It also points out that the final draft of the constitution must be approved by two-thirds of the assembly members.

However, failure to win two-thirds approval would mean the constitution would be submitted to a popular vote, said the government in a statement.

But voters will decide on the new constitution in a referendum, regardless of whether or not it is approved by two-thirds of the assembly members.

Deputy minister of government coordination Héctor Arce said the government is sincerely open to dialogue. However, negotiations appear unlikely for the time being.

Excerpt: