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1 1 (January 28, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govebpk0001 and id is 1 raw text is: C I $erv,~ ~n rn~r~ h I ~L 1~V~ 9 Updated January 28, 2021 Bolivia: An Overview Bolivia is a landlocked South American nation of 11.7 million people (see Figure 1). From2006 to 2018, Bolivia became more stable and prosperous under President Evo Morales, its first indigenous president. Bolivia also experienced backsliding in measurements of governance. In November2019, Morales resigned after an electionmarred by irregularities and sustained protests. Luis Arce, Morales's formerfmance minister, tookoffice a yearlater, after winning 55% of the vote in October 2020elections in which his Movement Toward Socialism(MAS) also maintained a legislative majority. President Arcefaces many challenges, including how to address the Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19) pandemic and howto manage relations with the United States. Background Chronic instability, poverty, corruption, and deep ethnic and regionalcleavages have stymied Bolivia's development. Bolivia won independence fromSpain in 1825, experiencing frequent military coups and periods of authoritarian rule for much of its history. The country reestablished democratic civilian rule in 1982. Bolivia's population is amongthe most ethnically diverse in South America. In the 2012 census, some 41% of the population self-identified as indigenous (Quechua or Aymara). The rest of the population is of European, mixed European and indigenous, or African descent. Bolivian indigenous peoples benefitted fromthe National Revolution of 1952, which led to land reformand expanded suffrage. Nevertheless, they remained underrepresented in the political systempriorto Morales's government and disproportionally affected by poverty and inequality. Cultivation of the cocaleafremains a contentious is suein Bolivia and in Bolivian-U.S. relations. Many of Bolivia's indigenous communities consider the coca leaf s acred and use it for traditional, licit purposes (the leaf also is used to make cocaine). Oppositionto years ofU.S.-backed forced coca eradication policies led to the ris e of coca growers' trade unions and a related politicalparty, the Movement Toward Socialism(MAS). In 2005, years ofprotest against leaders perceived to have governed on behalf of the elite led to the election of Morales, president of the coca growers' union and a self-identified person of Aymara descent. Political Conditions Morales and the MAS transformed Bolivia. Morales decriminalized coca cultivation outside of traditional zones where it had been legal, increased state control over the economy, used natural gas revenue to expand social programs, and enacted a new constitution (2009) favoring the rights and autonomy of indigenous peoples. Previously underrepresented groups increased their representation at all levels of government. In foreign policy, Morales aligned Bolivia with Hugo Chavez of Venezuela in taking a hostile stancetowardthe United States. In 2008, he expelled the U.S. Ambassador for allegedly fomenting opposition to his government, charges the State Department said were false. Figure I. Bolivia at a Glance Sources: CRS Graphics, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Central Intelligen ce Agen cy (CIA), Instituto Nacional de Estadisticas (IN E), Trade Data Monitor(TDM). Under Morales, Bolivia ranked partly free in Freedom House's annual Freedom in the Worldreports, scoring lowest on is sues related to due process and judicial independence. The government launched judicial proceedings against opposition politicians, dismis sed hundreds ofjudges, and restricted freedomof the pres s. Concerns increased after the Constitutional Tribunal ended constitutionallimits on reelection in 2017, essentially overruling a 2016 referendumin which voters rejected allowing Morales to run for a fourth term. In November 2019, Morales resigned and went into exile amid nationwide protests against a disputed October first-round election in which he had claimed victory. Many Bolivians criticized the authoritarianismofthe interim government that took over after Morales's resignation. Led by Jeanine Aiez, formerly a conservative senator, the interimgovernment rolled backMAS policies, used violence to suppress protesters, and prosecuted former MAS officials. Aiez suspendedcommunity-based coca control and adopted a drug policy aimed at achieving a drug free Bolivia. The interim government struggledto address COVID-19, and a corruptionscandalprompted the health minister to resign. 2020 Elections and Prospects for Arce's Presidency The October 2020 elections proved to be a referendumon the legacy of Morales andtheMAS. In contrast to the chaos of the 2019 elections, a new Supreme Electoral Tribunal administered a process that international election observers deemed generally free and fair. Contrary to pollsters' tt s://cisreportsxcorigre&

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