Nothing like rambling about Bolivia at 5AM...
Bolivian President Mesa has surprisingly vetoed the hydrocarbons law and is calling for a national dialogue among a ridiculous number of people. With the veto, the bill now goes back to Congress for more debate and they will either modify the bill or try to override the veto. Mesa is stalling, but doing so in a way that makes him look like he's trying to compromise.
If people take to the streets to protest his veto, Mesa can at least say he is working on a solution. Every move he makes puts the ball in someone else's hands and shows him working to find compromise. Mesa has shown he knows how to walk the tightrope and I think he'll do so again successfully.
Most analysts are saying that he vetoed the law because foreign investors threatened to pull out, but I disagree. Mesa knows that with energy prices increasing, some foreign investors will find a way to make Bolivian gas profitable. So while he doesn't want the bill, he's trying to make sure investors who do stay in the country if it passes know that the bill is Congress' fault, not his.
One final issue that is brought up in today's Miami Herald article. There is no line for presidential succession because there is no vice president and the two Congressional leaders who are next in line don't want the job. This is a great piece of news for Mesa, because the fear of a difficult succession and the possibility that a political opponent may take power will keep some politicians from pushing too hard for his resignation.
Barrio Flores and MABB also have some great posts up analyzing Bolivian politics.
2 comments:
Why would anyone want the job as President? No one has presented a rational solution to this conflict where there are at least 2 completely opposite sides. One group will eventually have to "win out", I guess.
Evo wants the job.
I think Mesa represents the rational solution and the silent majority of Bolivians who support a rational, peaceful solution.
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