Bolivia: the battle for public opinion continues, and the restoration of democracy begins

Evo Morales committed electoral fraud in an attempted coup against Bolivian democracy.

Coup plotters: Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela and Evo Morales in Bolivia

Listening now to the OAS Permanent Council as it considers the situation in Bolivia and the governments of Mexico, Nicaragua and Venezuela are attempting to rewrite what took place. In the case of the latter two countries the irony that they claim to be defending human rights and democracy would be grounds for satire if it were not so tragic.

Evo Morales attempted to follow the path trod by Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua. Both succeeded in undermining the rule of law, judicial independence, and compromised the electoral system in a slow motion coup against their respective democratic systems. Maduro and Ortega succeeded, and Morales appears to have failed in Bolivia.

There had been long term slow coup carried out by Evo Morales that sought to perpetuate his regime for another term power. Morales had already been in office for 13 years and nine months in power, and would have completed 14 years in office at the end of the current term.

A coup d'état in #Bolivia?

Yes. When they tried to steal the elections of October 20 and perpetuate @evoespueblo in power.
Part 1 of the speech of Secretary General @Almagro_OEA2015 to the #OAS Permanent Council. #OEAenBolivia pic.twitter.com/UBvmQklbqn

— OAS (@OAS_official) November 12, 2019

Evo Morales and his regime undermined the rule of law in Bolivia, compromised the independence and integrity of the judiciary and the electoral system that violated democratic norms. Furthermore Morales tried to build a highway through a national park occupied by indigenous communities that met popular resistance in 2011 and again in 2017. Morales also ignored a 2016 referendum against scrapping presidential term limits, and the October 20th fraudulent election combined with repression of protesters was the last straw for many Bolivians.

Morales had the Latin American disease of autocrats, he didn't want to leave, and Bolivian democrats should remain vigilant. This is not over. This is why the opposition maintains mobilized and in the streets. Now is the time to focus on restoring peace, stability and organizing free and fair elections that meet international standards with full guarantees.
The Castro regime, its vassal state in Venezuela, and the rest of the Sao Paulo Forum are mobilizing to back Evo Morales, denouncing his departure, and still seek to carry out Morales's coup against Bolivia's democratic order.

Today, violent protests continue in the streets both against and in favor of Morales, and calls for civil war now by pro-Evo groups. However it is important to remember that the three killed in the protests are all members of the opposition. The democratic opposition must hold firm, and use non-violent tactics to bring order to the situation.

At the international level Cuba, Venezuela, China, North Korea and others will work with larger and informal communist networks to demonize the legitimate aspirations of Bolivians, with the aim of restoring Evo Morales in power.

The stakes are high. The tragedies unfolding in Nicaragua and Venezuela should be two cautionary examples for all Bolivian democrats.

The battle for international public opinion continues, but the restoration of democracy and the rule of law in Bolivia begins, and its success will play an important role in who wins the battle for international public opinion.

Behind these efforts to destabilize democracy in the region is the Castro regime, which underscores the importance of a democratic transition in Cuba for a democratic consolidation in Latin America.

#VigiliaMundial #WorldVigil united for the victims of repression in Bolivia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba

"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." - Edmund Burke

On Sunday, August 26, 2018 at 6:00pm at St. Michael Archangel Catholic Church in Miami, Florida people of goodwill gathered together for victims of repression in Bolivia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba as part of a world vigil united for the victims of repression. Hopefully this will be the beginning of new tradition to be observed annually where friends of freedom gather and network in order to collaborate in the struggle for liberty in the hemisphere.

Miami, USA

Esta noche en la vigilia por las víctimas de las dictaduras en #Nicaragua #Venezuela #Bolivia y #Cuba
Gracias todos los alrededor del mundo se unieron hoy para honrar a nuestros héroes. Es hora de tomar acción.#NoMasDictadura #NoMasImpunidad pic.twitter.com/eHM0RvpSdp

— Rosa María Payá A. (@RosaMariaPaya) August 27, 2018

The enemies of liberty have been gathering regularly for decades at the São Paulo Forum, and its most recent addition was held in Havana back in mid July 2018. The members of the Forum backed Daniel Ortega and his Sandinista Party despite their mass slaughter of civilians.  

For far too long democrats in this hemisphere have failed to join together in solidarity against those suffering under tyranny and others have fallen, one by one, failing to arouse sympathy or solidarity in far too many remaining in freedom. This is a recipe for disaster.

Berlin, Germany

Desde Berlín, Alemania 🇩🇪 @nazlyescalona venezolana y miembro fundadora de nuestra Red, junto con familiares, amigos y colegas realizaron la #VigiliaMundial Unidos por las Víctimas de la represión para conmemorases. pic.twitter.com/u9AAcake0h

— Juventud LAC (@JuventudLAC) August 26, 2018

However this past Sunday across the world people of goodwill gathered around the world for victims of repression in Bolivia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba. This was a good start.Let us pray that it is repeated in years to come.


Geneva, Switzerland and Oslo, Norway

Desde Ginebra y Oslo, unidos por todas las victimas de la dictadura en la #VigiliaMundial. ¡Gracias a todos! pic.twitter.com/g5NnIm79Rl

— Oscar Patiño (@OscarPatinoH) August 26, 2018

If we do not join together to resist tyranny, support the rule of law, liberty, and the freedom of all prisoners of conscience then the list of countries succumbing to tyranny will continue to grow until freedom is extinguished in this hemisphere.

Maracay, Venezuela

#27Ago @MUVaragua como ONG en defensa de los #DDHH acompañó a @Sinmordaza en #VigiliaMundial contra la Represión en Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia y Cuba, oración, fe, esperanza, unidad, acompañados de @CreemosAlianzaC y miembros de la Sociedad Civil, Base Aragua #Maracay pic.twitter.com/efUy1fyZwQ

— Medicos Unidos Aragua (@MUVaragua) August 27, 2018

Therefore it is imperative for people of goodwill to join together in networks of freedom to counter totalitarian networks that seek to enslave free peoples. Free peoples must remain vigilant and not succumb to the complacency of living in freedom, only to lose it. 

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Buenos Aires, Argentina 🇦🇷 contó con la participación de testimonios de miembros de la Red que han padecido las dictaduras. Unidos hoy en la #VigiliaMundial #UnidosPorLasVictimas y por la causa de la libertad y la democracia. pic.twitter.com/pGGiA5SNJA

— Juventud LAC (@JuventudLAC) August 27, 2018

Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas on December 17, 2002 addressing the European Parliament observed that  “the cause of human rights is a single cause, just as the people of the world are a single people. The talk today is of globalization, but we must state that unless there is global solidarity, not only human rights but also the right to remain human will be jeopardized.” The world is witnessing his prophetic vision in Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Cuba. The distancing away from human rights has had dire consequences in these countries.

Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Desde Bolivia nos unimos a la #VigiliaMundial en honor a los caídos bajo los Gobiernos de Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua y Cuba. pic.twitter.com/s4cGHEfehw

— Laurita Villa (@LauritaViLLa) August 26, 2018

Witnessing these democrats and human rights defenders gathering together all over the world does give one hope for the future, but it must go beyond a symbolic act, to sustained concrete coordination and action.

Santiago, Chile

Hoy nos reunimos con las comunidades boliviana, cubana, venezolana y nicaragüense frente al Palacio de La Moneda en Santiago de Chile 🇨🇱 para recordar a las victimas de las dictaduras #UnidosPorLasVictimas #VigiliaMundial pic.twitter.com/XtC4Pr7KFG

— Juan Carlos Vargas (@juanvargasv) August 26, 2018

These vigils took place in many other places around the world, but there is not sufficient space to cover all of them.

Remembering the meeting with Václav Havel and Oldřich Černý at Forum 2000 in 2009

"The salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human meekness and human responsibility."- Václav Havel IHT (21 February 1990) 

Six years ago in October of 2009 together with former prisoner of conscience José Gabriel Ramón Castillo, Czech journalist Carlos González Sháněl, political analyst Javier Loaiza, Tamara Suju Roa and  Former Bolivian President Jorge Quiroga met President Václav Havel and Forum 2000 Executive Director Oldřich Černý at the Forum 2000 on the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.

It was at this event that President Havel made some profound observations that now and hindsight speak volumes at the challenges currently faced in a deteriorating international atmosphere.

At the time President Barack Obama had backed out of meeting with the Dalai Lama due to an upcoming trip to China, Vaclav Havel explained the importance of such "small compromises" on October 12, 2009 at Forum 2000:

I believe that when the new Laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize postpones receiving the Dalai Lama until after he has accomplished his visit to China, he makes a small compromise, a compromise which actually has some logic to it. However, there arises a question as to whether those large, serious compromises do not have their origin and roots in precisely these tiny and very often more or less logical compromises.

Both Václav Havel and Oldřich Černý have passed away and are greatly missed, especially in these difficult times when moral clarity and discernment are greatly needed. The video below was made by journalist Carlos González.


At the gathering above President Havel signed a petition calling for the release of 305 Cuban political prisoners. Cuban democrats should honor and remember the dissident who became a prisoner of conscience who became a president and later a private citizen and through out this trajectory maintained his solidarity with the victims of repression around the world. On the 26th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution the legacy of Václav Havel and Oldřich Černý lives on in the free society they struggled to bring into being.