After Bolivia's new constitution was passed in a
national referendum on Sunday, thousands gathered
in La Paz to celebrate. Standing on the balcony
of the presidential palace, President Evo Morales
addressed a raucous crowd: "Here begins a new
Bolivia. Here we begin to reach true equality."
Polls conducted by Televisión Boliviana announced
that the document passed with 61.97% support from
some 3.8 million voters. According the poll,
36.52% of voters voted against the constitution,
and 1.51% cast blank and null votes. The
departments where the constitution passed
included La Paz, Cochabamba, Oruro, PotosÃ,
Tarija, and Pando. It was rejected in Santa Cruz, Beni, and Chuquisaca.
The constitution, which was written in a
constituent assembly that first convened in
August of 2006, grants unprecedented rights to
Bolivia's indigenous majority, establishes
broader access to basic services, education and
healthcare and expands the role of the state in
the management of natural resources and the economy.
<http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/20375>Link
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Posted By johannes to
<http://www.monochrom.at/english/2009/01/bolivia-looking-forward-new.htm>monochrom
at 1/30/2009 10:28:00 PM
