Access to the Pacific Ocean
Diplomatic relations with Chile were broken off in 1978, and although there are still commercial and consular agreements, relations are very tense. Chile has, indeed, deprived Bolivia of an access to the sea during the Pacific war that it won (1879-1883). Since then, the Bolivians have not ceased to claim a coastal territory and the issue is still burning between the two countries. In 2013, Bolivia sought to internationalize the debate by taking the dispute to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. In March 2016, the Bolivian president decided this time to bring a complaint to the ICJ against Chile over the exploitation of the transboundary Silala River, then strong tensions ensued in May 2016 following the Chilean military presence 15 km from the common border. In March 2017 the government launched the national campaign "El Mar Nos Une" ("the sea unites us") and "Mar Para Bolivia" ("the sea for Bolivia"). This communication strategy aims to raise awareness of this national cause. On this occasion a 200 km long Bolivian flag was flown between La Paz and Oruro in March 2018. This is the longest flag in the world. In reality, this communication operation seemed to be primarily an electoral tool for the campaign of Evo Morales. On October1, 2018, the decision of the International Court of Justice exempts Chile from negotiating with its Bolivian neighbor for access to the Pacific Ocean. Chile has already granted customs facilities to Bolivia in its former ports and does not intend to yield more. The relations between the two countries remain conflictual to date, and it seems that the situation does not lean towards an appeasement.
Luis Arce's challenges
The 2020 presidential elections mark the return to power of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS). Elected president on November 8, 2020, Luis Arce, nicknamed "Lucho" by his supporters, will have to preside in the shadow of his cumbersome mentor, former president Evo Morales. Accused of electoral fraud by the opposition during the March 2019 elections, he resigned from office after losing the support of the army and police. Jeanine Áñez, a conservative senator resolutely opposed to the MAS, then proclaimed herself interim president from 2019 to 2020. In forced exile in neighboring countries since his resignation, Evo announced his return to Bolivia as soon as he learned of the MAS victory in the elections. In March 2021, the Bolivian prosecutor's office issued a warrant for the arrest of Jeanine Áñez and members of her cabinet for "sedition, terrorism and conspiracy". Jeanine claims she is a victim of political persecution.
In his inaugural speech, Luis Arce set out the challenge ahead: "We are beginning a new chapter in our history, and we want to do so with a government for all, without discrimination of any kind. Our government will seek to rebuild a united homeland where people can live in peace". Since taking office, the record of his presidency reveals that despite the political crisis of 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic and the high inflation currently affecting the global economy, Bolivia has nonetheless managed to maintain significant and steady economic growth, while maintaining one of the lowest inflation rates in the region. As a result, public investments to stimulate the economy and accelerate job creation have been put in place, as have policies to guarantee access to health and education. Arce's government adopted an inclusive approach to strengthening social safety nets, expanding access to programs such as income transfers, food aid and support for small farmers. During his presidency, he also passed an energy transition law aimed at achieving a significant share of renewable energies in the national energy mix. In these circumstances, opinion polls indicate a relatively high level of popularity for President Arce. But the forthcoming presidential elections in 2025 will crystallize new tensions, as the economy has not been doing very well over the past two years.
Eva Copa: a new lease on life in politics
On March 7, 2021, Eva Copa was elected mayor of El Alto, a city of around one million inhabitants in the hills above La Paz, whose population is made up almost entirely of indigenous people. The daughter of Aymara artisans, Eva Copa was born in El Alto in 1987. After having been a fierce activist in defense of Alteñas youth and women, she entered politics in 2014 as a member of MAS, and became senator for the department of La Paz in 2015. In November 2019, she was elected President of the Chamber of Senators in the Bolivian Parliament. Despite her position in the Senate and the strong popular support she enjoys, MAS does not present her as the party's official candidate for mayor of El Alto, a city whose inhabitants' numerous social movements greatly facilitated the arrival in power of the country's first indigenous president in 2005, a certain Evo Morales. Determined to run for the post, Eva Copa finally ran against the party's wishes. Evo accused her of treason and complicity in the "coup d'état" against him in 2019, and she was dismissed from the MAS. During the campaign, which she ran under the aegis of the Jallalla La Paz party, she showed her pride in belonging to the Aymara community and campaigned for more active participation by women in political life, without denying her earlier political battles with MAS. The media refer to this political battle as "Eva" versus "Evo". The election result was a brutal blow to the influence of Morales' party on politics in El Alto, the historic stronghold of MAS: Eva won almost 68% of the vote, far ahead of Evo's party with 19%. This is the first time that a mayor of one of the country's major cities has won an election by such a margin. This vote reflects the desire of the people of El Alto to put an end to the politics of privilege and the omnipresence of Evo Morales. Eva Copa represents the new generation of Bolivia's indigenous political landscape. In November 2024, she founded a new political party, the Movimiento de Renovación Nacional (Morena), which will contest the presidential elections in 2025.
