(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in Bolivia are growing skeptical about the performance of the National Constituent Assembly, according to a poll by Ipsos Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado. 39 per cent of respondents approve of the work done by the legislative body so far, down three points since September.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in Bolivia are growing skeptical about the performance of the National Constituent Assembly, according to a poll by Ipsos Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado. 39 per cent of respondents approve of the work done by the legislative body so far, down three points since September.
Evo Morales—an indigenous leader and former coca-leaf farmer—won the December 2005 presidential election as the candidate for the Movement to Socialism (MAS), with 53.7 per cent of the vote. He officially took over as Bolivia’s head of state in January 2006.
In August 2006, the National Constituent Assembly—an elected ad-hoc body tasked with re-writing the country’s constitution—held its first session. The assembly was supposed to sit for just one year, but it has failed to finalize the document. When ready, the proposed body of law must be approved by two-thirds of the 255 lawmakers, and then ratified in a nationwide referendum.
The assembly’s work has been marred by discrepancies between opposition parties and pro-government factions about whether the charter should be approved by a simple majority, as well as an attempt by MAS legislators to introduce an article to allow the indefinite re-election of the president. Opposition parties believe this would give Morales a chance to remain in power for as long as he wants.
In early September, violent protests over the content of the Constitution forced the assembly to temporarily suspend its meetings. The members resumed their duties on Sept. 20.
On Oct. 28, La Paz historian Carlos Toranzo said he fears the legislative body will be unable to complete a Constitution draft by the Dec. 14 deadline, saying, "There cannot be a Constitutional Assembly when one side tries to dominate the other. (…) No one will believe in it. No one will trust it."
Polling Data
Do you approve or disapprove the performance of the National Constituent Assembly?
|
Oct. 2007 |
Sept. 2007 |
Aug. 2007 |
|
|
Approve |
39% |
42% |
36% |
|
Disapprove |
54% |
49% |
53% |
Source: Ipsos Apoyo, Opinión y Mercado
Methodology: Interviews with 1,017 Bolivian adults in La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, conducted in October 2007. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
