Saturday, January 23, 2010

Evo Inaugurated as President


(Video in Spanish)  Evo Morales Aima was inaugurated on January 21st as the indigenous spiritual and social leader of Bolivia and on January 22nd as the President of the Pluri-National Republic of Bolivia from 2010-2015. Evo gave a
two hour speech in which he outlined his accomplishments, future plans and criticized the United States and then convened the Pluri-National Legislative Assembly. His main plans lay in implementing the new constitution that his Movement to Socialism party forced into effect without much of the opposition present. Leaders of state such as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Chile's Michelle Bachilet, Ecuador's Rafael Correa, Spain's Prince Felipe de Borbón, Paraguay's Fernando Lugo, the Colombian Vice President, the Cuban Vice-President, and the US Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis were present along with special guests such as Guatemalan indigenous rights campaigner Rigoberta Menchú.  President Cristina Fernandez of Argentina had been scheduled to come but had to bow out due to an ongoing banking crisis in Argentina. Peru sent a lowly ex-prime minister as an insult to President Morales who has an acrimonious relationship with Peruvian President Alan Garcia.  US Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis affirmed that Bolivia is living a historic moment and begins a new cycle of development. Solis signed an agreement to extend the ongoing bi-lateral talks between Washington and La Paz aimed at re-establishing high-level diplomatic relations. Solis expressed satisfaction at being in Bolivia and said that it's a land rich in history that made an important contribution to the Americas.

At the Indigenous inauguration in the ruins of Tihuanacu, Morales said to those assembled, "I want to work for five more years together with the people, under their orders, in order to promote development, unity and the integration of Bolivia."  Morales was re-elected in a landslide vote on December 6th, 2009 where he obtained 62.44% percent of the vote due widespread popularity among Bolivia's indigenous and poor and the failure of many opposition parties to unite. At his indigenous ceremony in Tihuanacu Evo's opening remarks were, "From Tihuanacu I want to say to you from La Paz, from Bolivia to all the people of the world, never submit to capitalism. This is a historic struggle, ongoing for thousands of years fought by our ancestors, however my sisters and brothers, we have passed four years of our government, and I work constantly with Ramos, with Alvaro Garcia Linera, and in four years we enacted this cosmic law of our ancestors; ama sulla, ama yulla, ama q'ella (thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not lie; thou shalt not be lazy). I want to thank, from this sacred place, our ancestors for having left the best inheritance for me and for all the peoples of the world which is don't rob, don't lie, and don't be lazy." 




  http://www.erbol.com.bo/
 http://www.eldiario.net/
http://www.opinion.com.bo/Portal.html?CodNot=86534&CodSec=18

1 comment:

  1. Watching Evo live in Tiwanaku (on television in a hotel lobby in Copacabana), tears of joy came to my eyes. The indigenous wisdom of the ancestors, of how to live in equilibrium for thousands of years, is rising to influence and guide the world in a positive direction.

    Bravo, Evo.

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