Bolivia, Antelo stresses democratic sense of the Statute of Autonomy

Former civic president who led the "Rally of the Million" in Santa Cruz, stresses democratic, inclusive and progressive Statute of Autonomy

Strengthening the unity of Bolivia through respect for individual rights and fundamental freedoms of people within a decentralized system with political, administrative and financial responsibilities, ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, as well as promoting the cultures, the languages, customs and traditions of indigenous peoples from the region, were highlighted by German Antelo, a former president of the Committee Pro Santa Cruz, at the conclusion of the adoption of the 155 articles of the autonomous status by the Provisional Autonomic Assembly.

"We must promote the needed changes in the country to improve relations between the state and the regions, reduce the levels of poverty and unemployment, improve the quality of education, security, justice and health, end corruption and establish an effective control of governance on the part of civil society. That is what we are trying to achieve with the new statute", Antelo, after completion of the meeting of the assembly.

"We have followed all the steps that the law and democracy demand," said Antelo. He reminded that petition of signatures, consensus building, demonstrations and massive rallies that happened in the process of modernization of the state, have achieved a referendum, which dictated the election of the country's prefects and now the autonomous statute.

The autonomist leader who carried forward the concentrations of June 28, 2006, prior to the referendum on autonomy on 2 July, remined that the new regime with a 72% approval and the millions of people rallied on December 15 of the same year, mandated that if the government would approve a constitution without a two-thirds consensus (which has happened), then the Provisional Autonomic Assembly would have to draft the statute that governs the destinies of the department.

After meeting for more than 24 hours, the Provisional Autonomic Assembly, made up of parliamentarians, departmental directors, presidents of 56 municipal councils and representatives of the races of eastern Bolivia, completed the adoption of the statute that will norm the autonomous government of Santa Cruz after a departmental referendum ratification.

German Antelo always maintained that the actions of the civic movement were labeled as regionalist, but now what they are doing is maintaining the same principles of defending freedom and the rule of law.

He recalled that this process of struggle to achieve a genuine deepening of democracy has for many years seeked a constitutional reform that establishes administrative decentralization within the unitary system, where regions can elect their authorities, manage and monitore with freedom their resources and dictate its own rules of operation for those items that are not exclusive powers of the State National.

He argued that the civic movement met in the city of Oruro, on 8 and 9 February 2004, where they issued a paper that expressed the belief that Departmental Autonomies are a valuable alternative to modernize the state. Then, it was defined that the re-establishment of the country should focus on:

A) Respect for the fundamental rights of individuals.

B) Systems of departmental autonomies, expressed as autonomic statutes framed in the new Constitution, drafted and approved by the department, for the establishment of solid departmental governments, incorporating responsibilities over decision-making processes and administration of public affairs, plurality and respect to the provinces, municipalities and communities.

C) Respect for the asymmetric nature of the process of empowerment of the country through the establishment of alternative routes, fast and slow transfer of competencies that require full autonomy regime.

D) National agreement on the powers to be held by the central government, government departments and municipal governments, following the principle of subsidiarity.

With this background, in August 2004, eight civic committees of Bolivia met again in Santa Cruz, in order to continue the process for requesting departmental autonomies. They drew a joint struggle for the achievement of deepening democracy and the search for greater equity amongst Bolivians, creating a new republic, planned and rebuilt from the departments.

Finally on 18 and August 19, 2004 was submitted a draft for Autonomous Departments with Financial, Constitutional and Historic sense; which was approved by all eight committees.

After that came the rallies, signatures collections and a national referendum, which was fought by the elected prefects who mobilized the people to defend freedom, and where four regions decided to become autonomous. The process continues now with the approval of the statutes.