The keys to the first year in office of the president of Bolivia, Luis Arce

Luis Arce assumed the Presidency of Bolivia on November 8, 2020 after winning complex elections with 55.1% of the votes in the midst of a polarized context, with great challenges due to the social, political and health crisis, and this Monday he celebrates his first year of management.

Arce, from the Movement to Socialism (MAS), the party of former president Evo Morales, began his administration by referring to “unity” after the polarization of Bolivians due to the failed elections of 2019, which divided the country among those who say that it was of a “coup” and those who point out that it was an electoral fraud in favor of Morales.

The Bolivian president a year ago also assumed the commitment to do justice for all those killed in the clashes in Sacaba and Senkata, for which he blames the transitory government of Jeanine Áñez, in addition, for the multiple crises in the country.

Arce assured that he would govern at a distance from Evo Morales, who was president for almost 14 years, and also stated that one of the main premises of his government would be the economic recovery of Bolivia.

These are the keys to Arce’s first year of management:

Case “coup”

In November 2020, the former MAS deputy Lidia Patty filed a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office for the crimes of terrorism, sedition and conspiracy for events related to the political crisis of 2019 after the failed elections.

Former temporary president Jeanine Áñez has been detained for this case on a preventive basis in a La Paz prison since March, it has been almost eight months since her imprisonment in the midst of severe health problems, a “self-injury” and several other processes weigh on her while that the Bolivian Parliament analyzes other liability trials.

Two former ministers of Áñez and former police and military chiefs are also detained in this case, while others such as the opposition governor of Santa Cruz, Luis Fernando Camacho, are linked to this process.

In addition, the Bolivian Prosecutor’s Office is also investigating Áñez and former military chiefs in the so-called “coup d’état II” case that seeks to investigate the framework of the presidential succession in 2019.

Management of COVID-19

Arce asked the population to “endure and resist” the COVID-19 pandemic until the vaccines arrived, a statement that caused controversy in the country, in the measure of a strong second wave of infections.

Arce’s plan against COVID-19 has focused on three pillars: diagnosis, for which they acquired nasal antigen tests, immunization of 100% of the vaccinable population, and coordination with subnational authorities.

The vaccination plan began at the end of January with health personnel and base patients, which later progressed by age, was extended to those under 16 and 17 years of age, and until now it has managed to immunize 64% of the vaccinable population with the first dose.

Likewise, the Government of Arce leads an international campaign for the release of patents for vaccines against COVID-19 due to the shortage of immunizers worldwide.

Economy

The economic reactivation is one of the main premises of the Government of Arce, who was Minister of Economy of Morales.

In a year it has applied several measures such as the bonus against hunger, a social aid for the COVID-19 pandemic, it has also promoted trusts to grant credits to producers in order to reactivate the industry and replace imports.

In the same way, it created a tax on large fortunes and the green light was given to the total or partial withdrawal of the retirement contributions of the Pension Fund Administrators (AFP), a promise fulfilled from its electoral campaign.

Conflicts

Politics in the last year in Bolivia has also been highly polarized due to the constant friction between government and opposition sectors, which on several occasions have taken to the streets with strikes and marches.

Among the main conflicts that have been registered is the strong confrontation between two sectors of the coca growers, for the election of their top leader, one akin to the ruling party, which raised blisters for being a private sector.

The month of October was one of the most convulsed with several strikes and protests against some government measures such as a controversial bill against the legitimation of illicit profits, which the Executive itself later said it would withdraw from the Bolivian Parliament.

Precisely today several sectors of the country will carry out a strike against the “mother law” or the National Strategy to Fight Against the Legitimization of Illicit Profits and the Financing of Terrorism since they consider that it seeks to impose an “economic and financial totalitarianism ”.