INDEPENDENCE DAY IN SUCRE

Today was the 200th anniversary of Bolivia's call for independence from Spain - the first country in South America to agitate for independence and the last to gain it - in 1824. Since then the country has suffered territorial losses to Chile, Brazil and Uruguay, military coups, dictatorships, social unrest and terrible poverty for its indigenous population. However, in January 2006 Evo Morales, was inaugurated as Bolivia's first indigenous President with a clear majority and a promise to help the poor. A self-confessed Marxist and friend of Chavez he vowed to seize unproductive land from the economic elite and return it to the indigenous population and to use revenues from the countries natural resources to create social programmes for the poor.

Although most of the elite live in Santa Cruz in the east of the country, Sucre is a conservative city, proud of its role as judicial capital of Bolivia but campaigning to revert to its former position of being the seat of government, instead of the current location in La Paz. Sucre has consistently opposed Morales's reforms in favour of preserving the status quo and last year the city was host to an outburst of racism that was reported in the world's press. A number of indigenous people who were entering the city to see their beloved President on a scheduled appearance were seized by right wing vigilantes, and forced to kneel in front of the Casa de la Liberdad in the main plaza and apologize for coming to support Evo Morales. The President was forced to cancel his visit and it appears that the authorities in Sucre did little to condemn the incident.

There have been two referendums since then, one a vote of confidence in Evo Morales as President, the second on the rewriting of the Constitution to incorporate Morales's reforms. On both occasions Morales won with a clear national majority. On both occasions the people of Sucre campaigned for a 'no' vote and voted no with a clear majority.

Today, Evo Morales visited Sucre to celebrate Independence Day on the balcony of the Casa de la Liberdad. The local press talked of small but significant efforts at peace between the two sides and for a while Sucre enjoyed parading in the Plaza.


Evo Morales (centre) with two bodyguards keeping their eye out for trouble and a military adviser.



There were groups representing local indigenous communities, human and animal rights advocates and of course military bands strutting their stuff in their uniforms.



Indigenous crowds who had come in from the countryside shouted 'Evo, Evo' and the city dwellers cheered the marching bands. Evo, his military advisers and his bodyguards clapped as the parades passed, local dignitaries sitting on the other side of the road were served canapes by waiters.



Then the representatives of the Sucre government appeared on the balcony of the Prefecturo - the 'town hall'. They had been absent from the celebrations all morning, although the mayor Savina Quellar had apparently told Evo Morales to his face that he had only come to Sucre to provoke and divide. "This is not government, this is dictatorship".



One of them started to chant "democracy yes, dictatorship no", it quickly spread to the others and then many in the crowd started hurling the usual insults calling Evo Morales a llama herder .

Riot police started running around and regrouping, soldiers with tear gas guns stood at the ready.



Suddenly two official cars reversed past us to the entrance to the Casa de la Liberdad and the President was whisked away. The government officials waved their arms to usher him on his way, their faces expressing disgust. Sucre had gritted its teeth for as long as it could, and with Evo Morales gone, was free to continue the celebrations in denial and defiance of the democratically elected leader of Bolivia.