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WORLD NEWSThursday 25 February 2016
Morales grudgingly accepts referendum defeat in Bolivia
CARLOS VALDEZ Bolivia’s President Evo Morales speaks during a press conference at the government palace in La natural gas and oil projects
FRANK BAJAK Paz, Bolivia, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016. Bolivian voters have handed Evo Morales his first electoral on their lands.
Associated Press defeat as president, rejecting by a slim margin a constitutional amendment that would have let The referendum also close-
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — him run for a fourth consecutive term in 2019. Morales in recognizing his defeat said “That he has ly followed a revelation
President Evo Morales lost a battle but not the war.” that Morales, previously
grudgingly accepted on unscathed by scandal,
Wednesday his first direct (AP Photo/Juan Karita) may have been personally
electoral defeat in a de- involved in influence-ped-
cade in power, the narrow celebrants poured into the A native Aymara, Morales highways and the pride dling.
rejection of a constitutional streets in the eastern city of is Bolivia’s first indigenous of La Paz, an Austrian-built While the setback was
amendment that would Santa Cruz, where opposi- president and changed aerial tramway system. He yet another blow to South
have let him run again in tion to Morales is strong. But the ethnic complexion of also put a Chinese-built sat- America’s populist left —
2019. fireworks also sounded in the landlocked nation’s ellite into space which last year lost Argen-
“We lost a democratic bat- La Paz, where there is wea- politics in three terms in of- But Bolivians have been los- tina’s presidency and saw
tle but not the war,” he told riness of official corruption. fice. ing patience with his now- the opposition win control
a news conference. “Evo’s Sunday’s ballot question He helped lift millions from entrenched Movement To- of Venezuela’s parliament
work is not done.” He lost by 51 percent to 49 of poverty by more equita- ward Socialism. And many — it did not signify a right
blamed the loss on a “dirty percent. The outcome also bly distributing natural gas natives initially enamored turn in Bolivia.“Their turn-
war” by the opposition and blocks Vice President Al- revenues, spurring the cre- of Morales for granting around isn’t about moving
an “external conspiracy.” varo Garcia from running ation of an indigenous mid- them autonomy on paper rightward,” but rather a re-
Asked if the process of again. dle class. He built airports, lost faith when he pushed jection of corruption and
choosing a successor an assertion that “20 years
would begin in the govern- is too long for one person to
ing party, Morales remind- be president,” he added.“I
ed the questioner that he think that if he wants to fin-
still has four years left in of- ish his term in peace he
fice. should understand that
“It’s not the moment to he needs to return to who
speak of a successor. There he was when he became
is a lot of time for that.” president, when he had
Previously, Morales had ideals and was dear to the
averaged 61.5 percent of people for them and made
the vote in electoral wins, us feel proud,” he said.
including a 2009 constitu- Early in his presidency, Mo-
tional rewrite. But corrup- rales crushed the right-wing
tion scandals, a weakening opposition by champion-
economy and the growing ing Bolivia’s long-down-
unpopularity of his move- trodden native majority.
ment stung this time. He expelled the DEA and
After the outcome be- a U.S. ambassador, thriving
came clear Tuesday night, on anti-Yankee rhetoric.q
Mexican president makes first visit to city of disappearance
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexi- erence to the events that a deep, transparent and had largely demolished plained that other lines of
can President Enrique unfolded on the night of open investigation, includ- the government’s initial ac- investigation had been ig-
Pena Nieto on Wednesday Sept. 26, 2014, when the ing with the collaboration count of the events: that nored.
made his first visit to Iguala, students from a rural teach- of international entities.” local police loyal to a cor- On Wednesday, Pena Nie-
the southern Mexico city ers college vanished after On Sunday, one of those rupt mayor had turned to said Iguala cannot con-
where the disappearance being seized by police. Six entities, a group of inter- the students from the Rural tinue to be marked by the
of 43 students created one other people were con- national experts sent by Normal School at Ayotzi- tragedy. “Its people de-
of the most difficult scan- firmed killed. Pena Nieto the Inter-American Com- napa over to members of serve to be known for their
dals of his term in office. said those events showed mission on Human Rights, the local Guerreros Unidos strength, their warmth and
The city is known as the the necessity for Mexico criticized the government’s drug cartel, who then incin- their firm character.” He
cradle of the Mexican flag to continue advancing on second investigation of the erated in a massive fire at said his administration was
and Pena Nieto visited on a road pegged to the rule case, complaining of leaks a dump in nearby Cocula. working with Guerrero’s
flag day. At a ceremony of law and institutions and and limited access to infor- The group said all evidence governor to “create condi-
heavy on military pomp, said that the government mation. contradicted the possibil- tions of security and devel-
Pena Nieto made brief ref- has sought justice “through The experts group earlier ity of such a fire and com- opment for its people.” q
