Winning elections takes a lot of votes and a lot of supporters, so Morales apparently has the backing of the majority. And he's the first president with a mainly indigenous ancestry, which could be seen as a step toward recognition of the pre-European people. But he comes to power in a troubled and poor nation that has a history of running to and fro, politically speaking, to try to find solutions, only to kick the government out (by peaceful means and otherwise) before they can achieve anything meaningful. Will Morales last?
If Morales is allowed to institute the sorts of changes he supports, what will it mean to expats there? When Salvador Allende was elected in Chile, he helped chase out foreign companies, and the economy was crippled. Other leftists have followed up their democratic elections by altering the constitution so they could stay in power. Even if Morales doesn't do anything so exotic, might Bolivia's foreign relationships become tainted to the point that trade is further eroded?
Stay tuned to news reports for answers to these questions. And let's see if there's not someone who can offer opinions here.
Ex-pats should not be concerned. All indications are that Morales will be more moderate. In fact, they are trying to attract investment, and will only ask those companies cheating the government and not completing their contracts to leave. I think it is too easy to lump Morales with leftists of the past.
Posted by: eduardo | January 5, 2006 2:04 PM | Permalink to Comment