Bolivian government withdraws controversial illicit profit law amid protests

The Bolivian Government of Luis Arce determined to withdraw the controversial bill against the legitimization of illicit profits so as not to lead to “destabilization”, after protests and announcements from various sectors to carry out pressure measures demanding precisely its annulment.

“As Executive Body, listening to the Bolivian people, listening to their concerns, listening to their fears in relation to this project, we have decided to withdraw this bill,” said the Minister of the Presidency, María Nela Prada.

The minister said in a press conference at the Casa Grande del Pueblo that this decision is to “not lead to destabilization”, violence and confrontation and also because Arce governs “listening to the Bolivian people.”

Prada acknowledged that there were “failures in the socialization” of the bill and in the face of “these lack of information” sectors of the population have “installed” “unfounded” fear that, in his opinion, have been promoted by “political groups” seeking “impunity”.

“Faced with these unsuccessful attempts, they have used the law to combat the legitimation of illicit profits as an excuse to install disinformation as an excuse to sow fear among popular sectors of the Bolivian people,” he said.

Several sectors rejected this rule as they considered that it violated freedom of expression and that it gave “extraordinary powers” to the Financial Investigations Unit (UIF) to investigate your accounts.

Marches

This Thursday the National Association of Oilseed and Wheat Producers (Anapo) carried out a caravan of vehicles in eastern Santa Cruz against the questioned rule.

The farmers went to the Santa Cruz Palace of Justice demanding that a consensus in the law be annulled, considering that the norm goes against the rights of the population.

“We are producers, we have been accumulating year after year, building equity, buying iron, land and so little by little it grows and then if one day we are going to be investigated it affects us,” said farmer Epifanio Surita.

This week several sectors such as unions, citizen platforms marched against that questioned law, in addition a strike was held demanding the cancellation of that project and sectors such as transporters, bakeries, soy producers, and union members, among others, announced new marches, among other measures, for the next week.

This questioned rule was suspended “momentarily” at the beginning of October due to the doubts and observations of various sectors that expressed their rejection and determined to “socialize” the rule with them.

This Thursday a “socialization” was held with the Federations of Neighborhood Councils (Fejuve) of the city of El Alto, adjacent to La Paz, in which the Minister of Economy, Marcelo Montenegro, participated, in which its members questioned the norm and they warned with joining the other sectors in their pressure measures.

Opposition reactions

“Bolivia wins and the authoritarians lose, the violators of human rights and those who believe that the people do not know how to defend themselves. Battles for justice and democracy are coming. We will be there because united we can do everything, ”wrote former President Carlos Mesa, leader of Comunidad Ciudadana, the main opposition force.

Meanwhile, the governor of Santa Cruz, the opposition Luis Fernando Camacho, argued that it is a “new triumph for the Bolivian people.”

“The mobilized Bolivian people forced the government of Luis Arce to withdraw from the legislative agency another authoritarian law of the masismo. With this law, any citizen could be arbitrarily investigated and dispossessed of their property, ”Camacho wrote.

For his part, Rómulo Calvo, president of the Pro Santa Cruz Committee, the group that led the strike last Monday, thanked the Bolivian people for taking to the streets to speak out to make their “discomfort” known to the Government.