“The renewal is irreversible in the MAS”, graphed and summarized the former MAS deputy, Rolando Cuéllar on his Facebook account, who was expelled from his party this Wednesday. Almost At the same time, the voice of Angélica Ponce appeared, today executive director of the Plurinational Authority of Mother Earth, dependent on the Ministry of Environment and Water (MMAyA), who went to the front and pointed out Evo Morales as responsible for the struggles within the party.
“I believe that at this moment I cannot let the instrument (MAS) fall, otherwise we have to begin to recover the essence of the ideology that we have sought, equal opportunities for men and women, freedom of expression, the MAS belongs to the people, it is not from Evo Morales as some of his fans would have you believe,” Ponce told the media.
A renewing current calls for changes in the MAS and They talk about retiring their leader, Evo Morales, who has held the position of president for more than 14 years. So far, the leaders or authorities who have asked for changes have been removed, expelled or separated from the government. This was the case of Román Loayza, Filemón Escobar “Filipo”, Rebeca Delgado, Alejandro Almaraz or Álex Contreras.
Who is Angelica Ponce? She is a former MAS militant, of trajectory that was even recognized by Morales himself, with whom he shared the headliner of several acts. She is a leader of the Cochabamba tropics, she was part of the Morales environment, of the Bartolina Sisa women and decided to form the “Trade Union Federation of Intercultural Women of Bolivia” first and wanted to be recognized as part of the Unity Pact; Evo Morales vetoed her request.
After 2019, together with Segundina Flores, then an executive of the Bartolina Sisa women, they decided to work for the campaign of Luis Arce and David Choquehuanca. They did not measure effort, they traveled with the candidates throughout the country, promoting their federation, which would later become the Trade Union Confederation of Intercultural Women of Bolivia (Csmib). Evo Morales opposed and He told them that he had enough with the bartolinas and the group of peasant women could not be divided, Ponce did not listen to him.
In September 2021 he organized his congress in La Paz, the first two presidents attended and the event ended in screams and attempted beatings; but Ponce managed to be re-elected and started the war from the bartolinas, whose executive, Flora Aguilar, ignored her mandate. Aguilar replaced Segundina Flores in that position and she is close to Evo Morales.
With that trajectory and with a speech about the renewal of the MAS, the leader of the Cochabamba tropics she projects herself as the new spokesperson for that wing within the ruling party. Deputy Héctor Arce quickly came out to disqualify her and Ponce reacted, reminding him that for as long as he can remember, the current deputy was a councilman, a departmental assemblyman, mayor of his town, and now a deputy, “he never left the bottle,” he told him sarcastically.
