No turns. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) urged all parties with national or local status call their instances of deliberation and renew the party directives in compliance with the Political Organizations Law (Law 1096). This decision signifies a victory for the renewing bloc of the MAS, which demands the holding of a congress to elect the new national leadership.
“Exhort the Political Organizations of national, departmental, regional and municipal scope –whose directives have exceeded the period of their mandate– to compulsorily convene and hold internal events (assemblies, congresses and others) for the renewal of their board, under the supervision of the Plurinational Electoral Body, within a maximum period of 180 calendar days, computed from the publication of this Resolution ” indicates the article of resolution 0128/2022.
Masista deputy Rolando Cuéllar presented an objection against the national leadership of the MAS, headed by Evo Morales, demanding the holding of this party’s congress, arguing that the current leadership has already exceeded the term of office of more than two years and therefore a new choice.
The vice president of the MAS, Gerardo García, had reported that departmental congresses are currently being held throughout the country and that, once the new regional directives have been elected, a congress will be called to elect a new national directorate.
The TSE considered that Sufficient time has elapsed for the adaptation process of the internal statutes and sees that it is essential that the parties put their regulations into operation, “which means that they enter into a process of putting into force and electing or renewing their internal directives.”
Although this arrangement not only affects the MAS, but rather the group of 11 parties with a national presence: Nationalist Democratic Action (ADN), Third System Movement (MTS), Bolivian National Action Party (PanBol), Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR), National Unity (UN), Civic Solidarity Unit (UCS), Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Movement for Socialism (MAS-IPSP), Left Revolutionary Front (FRI), Front for Victory (FPV) and the Social Democratic Movement (Democrats). It also affects more than a hundred departmental political organizations.
In the last part of the resolution, the electoral body reminds parties that failure to renew of directives constitutes a cause for the cancellation of the legal personality of the parties, as a warning to their current political leaders.
The document bears the signature of five members and it is noted that the member Dina Chuquimia, representative of the Executive in the TSE, was a dissenting vote; while her colleague, María Angélica Ruiz, did not vote because she was on vacation.