Bolivia: Cochabamba rising

Over the last several weeks (since just before Christmas in fact) there has been rising tensions in the Cochabamba region of Bolivia between the supporters of the leftist national government and the rightist regional government.

Today and yesterday has seen mass mobilisations from the left demanding the Cochabamba governor, Manfred Reyes Villa, resign. These mobilisations are the culmination of a five day blockade of the main plaza. Jim Shultz described the latest mobilisations as "certainly the largest massing of people in Cochabamba that I have seen since the water revolt seven years ago."

Yesterday's demonstrations turned into pitched battles with the police, which resulted in injuries, including those affected by gas, and the burning of government buildings. Last night the police chief, Col. Wilges Obleas, was uncermoniously sacked for his part in the fighting, with Morales stating that he demanded “zero repression”. According to Cuban Daily Prensa Latina the Minister, Alicia Muñoz, "said a request was sent to the National Police Command to appoint a new Chief of Police with the ability to dialogue with the leaders to avoid confrontations." As a result the demonstrations today seem to have passed off peacefully.

The police are being squeezed between orders from the left leaning national government and the neoliberal local prefecture. Apparently the legal framework is unclear as to who is primarlily responsible, although I'd have thought the sacking of the police chief would send a signal to his successor as to what is expected of him. Incidently, the Morales government has just initiated a sweeping reform of the police - including investigating the assets of *all* police officers and redeployment of officers away from administrative duties and richer areas.

Governor Reyes Villa is someone with real history. A leading right winger who participated in the de Lozada government he was a prime mover in the attempts to privatise water in Bolivia. He has been consistently accused of corruption and even acted as a bodyguard for dictator Luis García Meza.

He is a hate figure for the left and his recent attempts to try to forge links with the "oligarchs" in Santa Cruz has sparked the recent protests. These "oligarchs", through their party PODEMOS, have been attempting to politically break off the cities from the rural areas but despite a significant movement lost all the votes for "autonomy", including in Cochabmba, where the vote was over 60% opposed to the moves - despite this the prefect continues to press ahead and this has been seen as an attempt to shield the rich from the effects of Evo's Social Democratic reforms.

As things currently stand in Bolivia there is political deadlock. The right are able to veto significant change in the Constituent Assembly despite only having a minority of delegates (constitutional changes require a 2/3rds majority - something the ruling party, MAS (Movement for Socialism), cannot quite muster). There is a mass anti-capitalist movement, among the most successful in the world today, which is becoming increasingly frustrated at the slow pace of reform and an increasingly beligerant right, willing to defend their wealth by any means necessary.

Update: read an exciting eyewitness account at Becktar's Travels
Update: check the comments for news as it comes in. Large, armed, demonstrations of the left and right have clashed resulting in a number of dead and injured.