Festive Left Friday Blogging: Evo’s moment of triumph

Do I ever wish I could have been in Bolivia this week–it was intense. El Duderino was actually there, and it sounds like he had a blast. While he didn’t get close enough to shoot some really clear pix of Evo, the ones he did get, of wall-to-wall supporters, are spectacular in their own right. Unfortunately, Evo was pretty much mobbed by the jubilant crowd…

…so it would have been hard for any amateur to get a good shot. These come courtesy of ABI, the official Bolivian press agency:

These are emotional times for Evo–he’s finally got a date set for the constitutional referendum he’s long been striving for. However, the tears of joy were accompanied by high-fives…

And hugs…

…and a gentle reminder to the folks:

“This is your new constitution. Don’t forget to vote yes for it on January 25.” (Or something to that effect.)

It’s also a tough time for the oppos. They’re defeated, and they know it. That democratically drafted constitution is going to be at least as popular as Evo himself; it’s something the people have been clamoring for, literally, for decades. El Duderino writes:

Not only does this march and demonstration mark the truimph of the new constitution after two years of struggle but it is also marks the demise of the contemporary opposition and “Media Luna”. The fascists lost, suck it haters.

The Dude abides, and he’s definitely onto something; here’s an article I found on Aporrea, titled “The Bolivian opposition is disintegrating”, which says pretty much the same thing, and elaborates as to how that’s happening:

The right-wing opposition party, Podemos, decided to distance itself from the “civicos” and departmental prefects who rejected the agreement reached in Congress to put the new constitution to a popular referendum.

Senator Luis Vásquez Villamor explained that Podemos will distribute, at national level, the new constitutional text and asked the general populace to vote in favor of it on January 25, according the Erbol network.

The legislator said that the “civicos” and prefects who reject the accord will have to assume responsibility for their actions.

“In Santa Cruz there are two options: Vote for the constitution with autonomy, or for the constitution without autonomy,” said senator Vásquez, referring to the position taken yesterday by the director of the Civic Committee of Santa Cruz rejecting the referendum.

For his part, the senator for the department of Oruro, and principal framer of the accord between the four forces of the Congress, Carlos Börth, declared that the departmental authorities and the civic directors had all the right in the world to dissent, but also the responsibility to assume the consequences of their decisions.

The prefect of Santa Cruz department, Ruben Costas, proposed the formation of a broad opposition front to participate in the December general elections next year. In this way, the right-wing Bolivian leader said, it would be possible to “defend democracy and peace in the country.”

Costas has been singled out as one of the principal promoters of violent shock groups, such as the Juvenile Union of Santa Cruz (UJC), which has attacked peasant and indigenous groups.

Translation mine.

Heh. Fancy Ruben Costas defending democracy and peace all of a sudden, when he’s been doing the opposite up to now. Do you think he’ll change his spots for real, or will we just see more of the same when it becomes apparent that he and his ilk all have their collective testicles in a vise? Stay tuned.

And for the time being, savor Evo’s victory. It was hard won.