Page Seven / La Paz
The political scientist Manuel Suárez was the guest in the second part of the P7 Plus program. He analyzed the circumstances and consequences of a supposed fracture of the Movement Towards Socialism and warned of a “sovereignty” movement in Santa Cruz due to the misunderstanding of the MAS.
“One thing is the desire that there be a division in the MAS and another that it really exists, beyond the journalistic skirmishes.” Thus began his intervention, the former minister and former deputy of the MNR, interviewed by Isabel Mercado and Tuffi Aré.
And he argued: “According to the polls, the Arce government is very strong and, in fact, its image has grown along with Evo Morales”; For this reason, he considered it difficult for the leaders with the most support to divide with a view to 2025: “Without Evo there will be no victory; no Maple, either,” he said.
Division in the MAS?
Additionally, Suárez said, there are three reasons why it is not convenient for the country to divide the MAS: The first is that the MAS is a political institution like few others have existed in the country. The second, the ruling party has been a container of violence in a change of the old regime that could be consolidated with blood, which did not happen. And, third, the MAS has managed to incorporate the indigenous effectively into national politics.
“Now, if the MAS is divided, it is likely that, without a hegemonic party, competitive democracy will be strengthened, which is what the middle classes are universally looking for,” said the analyst who, however, expressed his doubts that the fracture would be more a wish of the opposition than a reality.
“I don’t know if the masistas understand what they mean,” he said. “There are fights. In any country, a former president has problems finding his political place, but Evo Morales is not just anyone, he has a hook, he has prestige. If the MAS wants to continue winning elections, it cannot be divided, ”explained Suarez, who claimed his movement partisanship.
He argued that at this time the government party does not face a strong opposition either; proof of this -he exemplified- is the absence of a national opposition party. “It is a disjointed opposition at the organic level, largely due to regionalism.”
The challenges
In this scenario, he raised two great challenges/opportunities that arise in the future for the blue party.
“The MAS must look at Santa Cruz, which is the economic engine and the north of modernity for the country. The Santa Cruz population feels special and mistreated and can get tired of not being understood, ”he warned.
In fact, he said, in all elections the largest party in the country must look for candidates. “The MAS does not understand Santa Cruz,” he stressed, and this could lead to a Santa Cruz sovereignty movement in different forms, from federalism to independence.
The second challenge for the front is, in Suárez’s opinion, to understand that the Bolivian middle class, like the rest of the world, wants more liberal democracy. “It needs a more central national project, not so colla or so camba,” he stressed.
