Bolivia’s equalizer: Morales is buoyed by progress for the poor
October 18, 2014 12:00 AM
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By the Editorial Board
Voters in Bolivia chose Evo Morales, president since 2006, for a third five-year term on Oct. 12, reflecting the economic success of the country under his leadership as well as his own personal popularity.
Bolivia is Latin America’s third-poorest country, after only Haiti and Nicaragua. At the same time, it has averaged 5 percent annual economic growth during Mr. Morales’ presidency. Credit the value of Bolivia’s exports, which include natural gas and minerals, and sensible management by his government, which runs budget surpluses. Another factor, which won for Mr. Morales 61 percent of the votes cast in the country of 11 million, is the emphasis he has put on improving life for the poor. He has had a 75 percent approval rating.
Mr. Morales, 54, was raised by llama farmers and does not have a university education. His ethnicity is Aymara, unlike the country’s previous presidents in 187 years of independence who were of Spanish or mixed Spanish-Indian heritage. Prior to being elected president the first time, Mr. Morales was head of a coca-growers’ union.
Mr. Morales is not beloved by the U.S. government, which lumps the self-declared socialist in with late President Hugo Chavez and now Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Raul Castro of Cuba. Mr. Morales expelled the U.S. ambassador in 2008 for what he called U.S. interference in Bolivian affairs, in particular runaway Drug Enforcement Agency activities.
The primary basis of his popularity and one reason he won re-election is that, when he took office, one in three Bolivians was living in poverty. Now the rate is one in five, and falling. He makes it clear that erasing economic inequality among Bolivians is one of his major goals. He’s made progress on that, but he still has far to go.
