March for Peace in Pando
Bolivian President Evo Morales ended martial law in the northern province of Pando on Sunday more than two months after government supporters were killed in the region as a wave of political violence swept the country.
The decision made by Morales, finally brings the current constitutional referendum in line with the Bolivian Referendum law, which clearly states that a referendum cannot be called with martial law in place. Morales, however, decided to ignore this “minor” detail, which restricts the civil liberties of Bolivian citizens in Pando, until last night. His signing of the referendum law in October with martial law in place in Pando is on very dubious legal standing.
Earlier this month, the Bolvian electoral court said the law calling for the referendum states the vote cannot take place if civil liberties are restricted anywhere in the country.
What needs to be a priority for this government is to identify, in a transparent and unbiased manner, who the indviduals responsible for the deaths of September are and have the full weight of the law brought upon them. It is not clear how many people were killed in clashes between backers of Morales and anti-government groups in Pando, but local media estimates between 15 and 20.
Bringing peace and reconciliation to Pando will not be easy but it is possible. To do so however, the inflammatory language that Morales continues to use against all those who oppose him, needs to stop… and the same goes for the opposition.
