Bolivian President Evo Morales on Friday formally called a referendum for May 4, to settle two issues in connection with the controversial new Constitution drafted by a constituent assembly dominated by his party, according to dpa. "Let the people decide with their votes, that is the most democratic way. Let the Bolivian people decide the country's future. We are talking about a new political constitution of the state that allows us to re-found Bolivia," Morales told a crowd of thousands of peasants, indigenous people and other supporters gathered at the Plaza Murillo in La Paz. One day earlier, Congress had approved the call to a referendum in very dubious circumstances. Supporters of the government has prevented opposition legislators from entering the building, thus securing the approval of the proposal by the majority of those present, with only a few opposition legislators in the chamber. This followed a past pattern of locking out the opposition. Bolivian Vice President Alvaro Garcia did not even allow speeches from the few angry opposition representatives present, who stood on their seats and shouted in outrage. It took Congress 30 minutes to pass all government proposals and end the session. The first question in the referendum will propose a choice between 5,000 and 10,000 hectares as the maximum for an estate to fulfil both its economic and social functions. The second will propose approval of the draft for a new constitution. The new constitution was the main campaign promise of left-wing populist Morales, the first president of indigenous descent in the history of a country where a majority of the population is indigenous. The governors of the provinces of Santa Cruz, Beni, Tarija and Pando oppose the text approved by the Constituent Assembly in December. The opposition to Morales was outraged by the call to a referendum, which one regional leader described as "the end of democracy in Bolivia." At least two of the six Bolivian provinces governed by the opposition were planning their own referendums on May 4, in order to seek more autonomy for the regions. The new constitution does not contemplate increased autonomy. Morales' self-stated efforts to improve the lot of the country's indigenous majority have encountered resistance from many, particularly in the wealthier provinces rich in natural gas and agricultural production. Political analyst Fernando Mayorga said Morales' Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) is "fracturing the country along territorial lines, dividing Bolivians and ideologically polarizing them." "This will do nothing other than stressing national contradictions," he told the daily El Deber.
