Into the night
UPDATE (18:23): The extraordinary congressional session originally planned for this morning, and later delayed until this evening, has been postponed indefinitely. President of the Congress, Hormando Vaca Diez, and his entourage have been whisked away from the Casa de la Libertad in SUV's, the last, apparently, of the politicos to flee swelling unrest around the plaza where they were to meet. He is reportedly en route to the airport. National deputy, Oswaldo Justiniano, is claiming on Notivisión news (in a shaking voice) that the "evacuation" of the members of Congress is the result of an "act of terrorism." The country, it seems, is now without a government...
The conflict has claimed its first casualty.
Details are sketchy right now as they are coming in as this is written. A 52-year-old Potosà miner, Carlos Coro Mayta, has succumbed to injuries suffered during a confrontation with army units in Sucre, near Yotala. The father of four children was president of the 27 de mayo mining cooperative. Three others were injured in the same incident.
The miners are arriving to the center of Sucre, calling for the resignation of Hormando, angry from the loss of their fellow miner. they are outfitted with the tools of their trade, including dynamite. Army units are deploying now, their weapons well in view.
After an initial postponement from this morning at 10:30 am to 6 pm this evening, there is growing concern that Congress will not be able to meet. One delegate interviewed moments ago on ATB news notes that many congressional delegates have returned to their hotels and elsewhere out of concerns of personal security. Others are reportedly heading for the airport to escape the approaching protestors. Hormando Vaca Diez location is unknown at this time, fifteen minutes before the Congress is scheduled to meet.
One senator, Carlos Sandi, a member of Evo Morales' party MAS, has reportedly suffered a heart attack and has been transferred to Santa Barbara Hospital. President of the Mixed Commission of the Constitution, he has been active in recent months preparing methodologies for the proposed Santa Cruz referendum on autonomy.
Hormando Vaca Diez emerged earlier to announce unexpectedly, "I am the president of the Republic, excuse me, of the Congress at this time..."
The masses are gathering again at Plaza San Francisco in central La Paz, though most media eyes remain trained on Sucre.
International observers are arriving to the country's only functional airport in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Mesa urges them to attend to the movements of the congress in Sucre.
I'm getting very nervous now...
The conflict has claimed its first casualty.
Details are sketchy right now as they are coming in as this is written. A 52-year-old Potosà miner, Carlos Coro Mayta, has succumbed to injuries suffered during a confrontation with army units in Sucre, near Yotala. The father of four children was president of the 27 de mayo mining cooperative. Three others were injured in the same incident.
The miners are arriving to the center of Sucre, calling for the resignation of Hormando, angry from the loss of their fellow miner. they are outfitted with the tools of their trade, including dynamite. Army units are deploying now, their weapons well in view.
After an initial postponement from this morning at 10:30 am to 6 pm this evening, there is growing concern that Congress will not be able to meet. One delegate interviewed moments ago on ATB news notes that many congressional delegates have returned to their hotels and elsewhere out of concerns of personal security. Others are reportedly heading for the airport to escape the approaching protestors. Hormando Vaca Diez location is unknown at this time, fifteen minutes before the Congress is scheduled to meet.
One senator, Carlos Sandi, a member of Evo Morales' party MAS, has reportedly suffered a heart attack and has been transferred to Santa Barbara Hospital. President of the Mixed Commission of the Constitution, he has been active in recent months preparing methodologies for the proposed Santa Cruz referendum on autonomy.
Hormando Vaca Diez emerged earlier to announce unexpectedly, "I am the president of the Republic, excuse me, of the Congress at this time..."
The masses are gathering again at Plaza San Francisco in central La Paz, though most media eyes remain trained on Sucre.
International observers are arriving to the country's only functional airport in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Mesa urges them to attend to the movements of the congress in Sucre.
I'm getting very nervous now...
2 Comments:
Welcome to the Bolivian blogsphere. I'd like to add you to my list of Bolivian bloggers. That is if you don't have any objection. :-)
And thanks for the link, by the way.
Thanks for all the updates, Michael. Things sounded like they could have gone either way lastnight, but it looks like Rodriguez's presidency could calm things down in the short-term, at least. How's La Paz today? Have you managed to stock up on fresh food and get out of the apartment?
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