BBC (early Monday): Bolivians 'vote for gas exports'

[Jack Rabbit]

From the BBC Online
Dated Monday July 19 02:57 GMT (Sunday 7:57 pm PDT)

Bolivians "vote for gas exports"

Bolivia's President Carlos Mesa says he has won a controversial five-point referendum on the future of the country's vast natural gas reserves.
Initial results show about 75% backing higher taxes on foreign energy firms operating in Bolivia, and large-scale gas exports.
"The five questions have been answered, each one, with a yes," said Mr Mesa.
Victory will make Mr Mesa's position more secure, after riots unseated the previous government last year.

Read more.

It looks like a victory for the people over global capitalism.

[Judi Lynn]

1. Excellent. Good for Bolivia. It will hack off the Bush people, no doubt.

The people spoke, anyway, for the moment:

He said people across the country flocked to their local polling stations, in some cases braving heavy rains and snow to do so.

This is a big step forward, or at least until some of our corrupt, vicious power-grabbing @$$####$ try to deprive them of their choice.

From Reuters:

Bolivia leader hails referendum victory
Mon 19 July, 2004 04:06

By Alistair Scrutton

LA PAZ, Bolivia (Reuters) - Bolivia's President, Carlos Mesa, says the country backs his proposals to allow natural gas exports and increase state control over the nation's huge reserves in a referendum aimed at appeasing an impoverished Indian majority.

"The five questions have been answered, each one, with a yes," Mesa told a news conference late on Sunday.

These results -- yet to be confirmed by an official count -- will likely ensure that Mesa stays in power until 2007 and lend the Andean country some political stability after a bloody indigenous revolt ousted the previous government last year.

The official results, although based on 2.2 percent of the vote counted, supported Mesa's claim of victory. Unofficial counts by Bolivia's state TV and the leading PAT private TV channel also said Mesa won each of the five questions.
(snip/...)

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=549199§ion=news

[murielm99]

2. This is a good thing.

My youngest daughter is in Bolivia right now. She called us to say that all was calm where she was, and the voting seemed to be going well.

They were very worried about the referendum, and expected unrest.

She had to leave La Paz, and go to Sucre. Her trip to Macchu Picchu was cancelled, because they were worried about American students travelling.

I was kinda pissed that she has to miss Macchu Picchu. It was supposed to be the high point of her trip. She was the kid who built a model of Macchu Picchu in her playroom when she was eight years old.

She is coming home next week, with great memories and improved Spanish. I am sure she will be back in South America in the future, and she will get to go to Peru then.

[LeighAnn]

3. Otto Reich will put a stop to this

Watch for the upcoming "uprising".

In spite of these polling results, there are some that will have us believe that the people of Bolivia are really against this, that they want Chevron et al to be down there exploiting and oppressing them.

[dArKeR]

4. Good to know all Bolivians are treated with respect.

President Carlos Mesa shrugged off the protests in El Alto, a city of 800,000 on the high plains above the capital, as "minuscule radical groups," during a news conference on Saturday.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/07/19/2003179584

Friendly Dictators
http://home.iprimus.com.au/korob/fdtcards/SouthAmerica.html

[jmcgowanjm]

5. So, will gas be nationalized or not? Was that question answered?

Indigenous and labor leaders in the west want the
entire
gas industry nationalized -- an option Mesa left off
the
ballot.