Attending the inauguration of President Luis Arce on November 8, were the King of Spain, the Presidents of Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay, and many high-ranking officials from Latin America and across the world. President Arce declared that a new phase of development had opened up for Bolivia during which the Government will promote new ideas and build new programmes in order to bring Bolivia back to a stable orbit soon, ensuring a fair and united society where people are living in peace. The first priority is efforts to curb and eventually eliminate the COVID-19 epidemic; heal social division, and aim to rejuvenate economic growth.
As a representative of the left-wing MAS, winning 55.1% of the votes in the general election on October 18, Luis Arce won the election after just the first round of voting. The MAS also preserved its majority in the National Congress. The MAS even received a significant number of votes (35%) in the state of Santa Cruz, considered the "stronghold" of the leaders of riotous protests that overthrew former President Morales a year ago. The resounding victory of President Luis Arce and the MAS officially dispels doubts and accusations, and clearly reflects the aspirations of the majority of Bolivian voters for a new period of stability and development.
Observers said that one of the key factors leading to the victory of the MAS in the first round was that voters participated in the election in record high numbers, even in the context of the complicated developments of the epidemic. This shows the urgent desire of people in Bolivia to quickly end the period of unrest that has persisted since the overthrow of the MAS government in November 2019, which at the same time reflecting their support for their policies which have been suspended for the past year.
In fact, ever since MAS leader, former President E. Morales came to power in 2016, the process of change has been evident in Bolivia. Policies proposed by the MAS have led to economic development, based on a strategy of restoring sovereignty and state autonomy over natural resources, thereby creating social improvements, with clear achievements in poverty reduction, illiteracy eradication, health care networks and education universalisation, amongst many other bold imprints. According to the Latin American television network TeleSUR (headquartered in Venezuela), the policy line pursued by the MAS has also contributed to building the foundation for a multicultural and multiracial worldview, replacing old and misleading viewpoints which only prioritised the upper class and were considered “ruins” from colonial times.
The victory of the left-wing in Bolivia has important implications for the progressive mass movements in the region, and is being hailed as a “mass victory” in Latin America. TeleSUR emphasised that the spectacular return of the MAS after a year of turmoil in Bolivia has affirmed that, in difficult and divided times, the solidarity of the is the prerequisite for victory. The MAS victory continues to reinforce and encourage the bloc of Latin American and Caribbean nations to persevere in their goals of autonomy, solidarity and integration, as well as safeguarding peace, stability and common achievements in the region.
In the current scenario of a deeply polarised Bolivian political scene, the advantage now lies clearly in favour of the MAS. This is convenient, but does not mean the road ahead will be without many twists and turns. Policy commitments in the new context are necessary, based on an analysis of adverse factors, both in terms of politics and socio-economic development, both of which have been exploited by rival forces, hindering the leading role of the left-wing in Bolivia.
