June 28, 2006 

On March 6, 2006 the Bolivian Congress passed legislation convoking a constitutional assembly. As a result on July 2, 2006 Bolivians will vote for 255 representatives to write a new constitution and determine whether their departments (the equivalent of states) will have greater autonomy.  The demand for a new constitution is a result of longstanding popular pressure...read more... 

NEW AIN UPDATE!  Bolivia's Agrarian Reform Initiative: An Effort to Keep Historical Promises

June 28, 2006
In May 2006 the Morales government launched its land reform program, a key campaign promise, and has begun land redistribution in Bolivia, a country with one of most unequal land distributions in South America.  Inequitable land tenure has been a persistent problem, and there is consensus within the country of the need for agrarian reform...read more...

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 *Between Electoral Theater and Revolution: Bolivia Looks Toward Rewriting its Constitution *
Benjamin Dangl, UpsideDownWorld.org

Before Evo Morales won a landslide victory in the Bolivian presidential election on December 18, 2005, one of his key campaign promises was to organize a constituent assembly to rewrite the constitution. The election for representatives to that assembly took place on Sunday, July 2nd in
tandem with a referendum on autonomy for all provinces. The election, and its results, revealed significant aspects of the relationship between the Morales administration and the social movements that helped put him in power.

Complete Article: http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/353/1/

Below are the links to two recently published articles on Bolivian trade policy, regional integration, and the People's Trade Agreement:

Integration of the Latin American Homeland
http://boliviasolidarity.org/newsupdates/bolivia/integration

Bolivia Advocates Alternative Vision for Trade and Integration
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/355/1

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I just wish I can duplicate Bolivian president a zillion times!!!

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http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2006/09/andres-soliz-rada-resignation-as.html

La Paz, September 15, 2006
Mr Evo Morales Ayma
President of the Republic

Ref.: irrevocable resignation

Your Excellency Mr. President,

Last May 17, I notified to you the urgency with which I had to remove myself from the cabinet for personal reasons. In that opportunity, at your request and that of Mr Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, I accepted remaining in the position of Minster for Hydrocarbons and Energy for an additional time. I consider that this time has been completed, the reason for which I am presenting to you my irrevocable resignation.

I take use of this opportunity to put on record the patriotism with
which you have lead this country, the reason why I feel thankful for
allowing me the opportunity to accompany you in the historic
nationalisation of gas and petrolem, last May 1.

This is a moment to recall that the nationalization pushed forward, in a decisive way, the process of recuperation of the dignity and self esteem of our people that the neoliberal and racist policies had
attempted to squash in a definitive manner. Thanks to the
nationalization, the country has recuperated around $200,000 million in gas and petroleum reserves, whose value the petroleum companies tried to note down in the stock exchange as if it was theirs.

Even though we were not able to including in the May decree the
expropriation of the necessary shares from Chaco, Andina and
Transredes, so that YPFB could immediately control 50% + 1 of the
shares of these companies, we achieved, at least, that the state
company be represented, although as a minority, for now, in their
board of directors, after transferring the shares, which were under
the control of the AFPs, to YPFB.

The Ministerial Resolution 202/2006 from last August 25, obliged
Petrobras, Andina and Repsol to pay $32 million monthly, complying
with article four of the nationalization decree, which talks of the
additional 32% taxes for participation in the mega fields of Sabalo
and San Alberto. Due to this, YPFB has collected $64 million and we
can count on a further $96 million in the next months.

As the Nationalisation Decree allows for, the Ministry organized, with total transparency, the auditing of petroleum companies that operate in this country, the results of which will allow YPFB to sign new contracts in advantageous conditions.

In the agreement to sell gas to Argentina, we achieved a commitment from the neigbhour country to construct, with a preferential credit loan, a separation and liquification plant, whose property will be in the hands of Bolivia, in Yacuiba, that will have to process the totality of gas sold to the neighbour country, and which will become functional at the moment of expansion of the pertinent volumes of exportation. Now Bolivia must authorize Argentina's future exportations of gas to third countries.

The Ministry has finished the first draft of the law of integral
reorganization of YPFB, which in the next few days will be sent to the Congress of the republic. The National Energetic Balance, which has stopped being elaborated since 1996, is also almost at the point of completion. We have also obtained the designation of the directory of the state oil entity, that should lead the company.

Nothing of what I have mentioned would have been possible to achieve without the heroic struggle of our people and the social movements which on October 17, 2003, changed our history, by expelling the principal neoliberal politicians that caused so much damage to Bolivia, and which were squashed by your electoral victory last December 18.

At this opportunity, I would like to pass on my extensive gratefulness to Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, the men and women that make up your cabinet, as well as the leaders and parliamentarians that back the revolutionary process, of whose devotion and sacrifice I have been witness to.

Finally, I would like to manifest my gratitude to the loyal people
that worked with me in the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy, who's dedication and friendship I counted on at all times.

Please receive, companero and brother President, my fraternal hug

Andrés Soliz Rada

Translated from Bolivian Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy website

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The popular demand for public control of the nation's gas and oil resources has been a long-standing one in Bolivia, and has been at the forefront of national politics for three years. In July 2004 more than 90% of the voters in a national referendum supported a measure to recover control of Bolivia's gas and oil reserves. Nationalization was also a central pledge by President Evo Morales during the 2005 elections. On May 1, 2006 Morales, issued an executive decree declaring the "nationalization" of Bolivia's oil and gas reserves. The Democracy Center is dedicated to providing its readers with up to date and accurate analysis of this issue as it unfolds.

• Oil and Gas Policy in Bolivia - Post Election Update, April 6, 2006
• Review of the May 1 Gas Decree - ( Version en Español )
  
• Review of Foreign Media Coverage of the Decree - ( Version en Español )
  
• What Are They Saying About the Decree? - A Summary of Initial Commentary on the May 1st Decree.

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Evo at the UN

Speech delivered by the president of the republic, Evo Morales Ayma, in front of the United Nations General Assembly.

New York, September 19, 2006.

http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2006/09/evo-at-un-speech-delivered-by.html

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http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A3F56E19-6A18-420A-864E-6B3D85D8B88F.htm

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Prepared by the Andean Information Network
February 26, 2007

After a six month stalemate, Bolivia's Constitutional Assembly members
reached a compromise and approved a method of voting on February 14th.  As a result, the Assembly's 21 thematic commissions have finally begun considering the proposals for the content of the new constitution.  The procedural gridlock over Article 70, which defines how the individual articles and the final text of the constitution will be approved, represents much deeper differences between the central MAS government and opposition groups.  This ongoing struggle encompasses the hydrocarbons and autonomy issues as well as class, race and regional divides that have become increasingly acute throughout the country.

The multi-party compromise reached by the Assembly provides a glimmer of hope for the future of this conflict-ridden process.  If the central
government, opposition parties and departmental governors can follow the example set by the Assembly and make mutual concessions, instead of continually blocking each other's progress, the current political crisis may be transformed into a process of genuine political reform to benefit all Bolivians.

In spite of this step forward, the debate of specific articles for the new
constitution will most likely generate further controversy and friction.  It
will be essential for all parties involved to continue to compromise as the
Assembly only has six months before they must present the final text of the constitution to the Bolivian public.  The successful creation of a new
constitution is one of Bolivia's best options for peaceful political
transformation.

The Vote on Article 70  
Of the 255 members in the Assembly, 247 were present for the Feb 14th vote. Of those present there were 201 Yes votes (81%), 17 No votes, 19 Abstentions, and 10 did not vote. 

Support for the articles did not strictly follow party lines. The revised
article received support from members of the MAS, Podemos, UN, MNR, AS and some small leftist parties.  Some dissenting members of the Podemos, MNR, APB, AAI, and Camino al Cambio voted against the article. 

The Process
The voting process approved with the revision of Article 70 is lengthy,
complicated and still contains some gray areas.   

If each article of the new constitution is approved by the commissions and the entire body of the Assembly by two-thirds, the final text of the
constitution will be submitted to the Bolivian public for approval by
popular referendum.  However, this is unlikely given the contentious nature of many of the articles to be debated, the potential for continued
obstructions, the short time limit and the general disorganization of the
Assembly.  

If there are articles that do not receive two-thirds approval, the debate on the article will move to a committee.  This committee will attempt to reach consensus, but if that is not possible there is an option to allow the Bolivian public to chose between two versions of controversial articles in a popular referendum.  It is still unclear whether this vote would take place as part of the final approval of the text by Bolivian voters or would occur in a separate referendum.

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