The President of Bolivia resigns
{{missing image|Image: Bolivia.CarlosMesa.01.jpg  |thumb|right|Carlos Mesa.}}
{{dateline|date=March 8, 2005|location=South America}}
The President of [[Bolivia]] {{w|Carlos Mesa}} officially resigned Sunday,  March 6.  Now the President of Senate Hormando Vaca Díez  is the temporary President of the Republic of Bolivia. 

Mesa resigned because of the announcement of highways's blockages  by  {{w|Evo Morales}}, both the leader of  the {{w|coca}} growers and the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS).  The blockages serve to pressure the Legislative so the Hydrocarbons Law can be approved. The law aims to raise the taxes levied on hydrocarbon extraction from 18 to 50%.

The MAS is a political party formed basically by  coca-growing {{w|campesinos}} (known as ''cocaleros''),  {{w|communists}}, admirers of {{w|Fidel Castro}}, and {{w|indigenous}} people. The party is against the government of the {{w|United States}} and the alleged  American influency in the region, the {{w|liberalism|neoliberalism}} and the {{w|globalization}}. Morales in his own words, explain some of the MAS motivations:
:''The worst enemy of humanity is capitalism. That is what provokes uprisings like our own, a rebellion against a system, against a neoliberal model, which is the representation of a savage capitalism. If the entire world doesn't acknowledge this reality, that the national states are not providing even minimally for health, education and alimentation, then each day the most fundamental human rights are being violated.''

Morales is an admirer of Fidel Castro and  he says he is inspired by the presidents of {{w|Venezuela}} {{w|Hugo Chavez}} and {{w|Brazil}}, {{w|Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva}}.  He supports the creation of an anti-imperialist block formed by Latin-American and Arabian countries against the USA, which is being organized by the Brazilian President.

Bolivia economy depends on exportation of {{w|hydrocarbon}} (oil and gas). Other sources  of resources comes from the cultivation of coca.
The coca growers demands the same treatment the government is giving to hydrocarbons. However, the production of coca in great quantities is controversial since the coca is the raw material of {{w|cocaine}}.  Cocaine is considered  illegal  in  Bolivia  and in the majority of other  countries

In October 2003, Morales caused the resignation of the President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada.  After the resignation of Lozada, Mesa, the vice-president, assumed the command of Bolivan government.

Morales said about the resignation of Mesa:"The  only resignation purpose is to blackmail, this resignation is not worth, it basically serves so the October agenda does not occurr (agenda purpose is nationalization of gas production and to proclaim a Constitutional Assembly [Note:where politics propose a new Constitution]). 

The blockades of roads  occurred  in two strategical places: at  the city of El Alto, neighboring to the capital, and at El Chapere, which binds the cities of Cochabamba and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. 

The country is divided. There were some protests and manifestations for and against Mesa.

==Sources==
* {{source|url=http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=4TDZXK5WW04OACRBAEOCFFA?type=topNews&storyID=7844181
|title=Bolivian Power Brokers Ask President Not to Quit
|author=Brian Winter |pub=Reuters
|date=March 8,  2005     }}

* {{source|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,149582,00.html
|title=Bolivian President Submits Resignation
|author=[[Associated Press|AP]] |pub=FOX News
|date=March 7,  2005     }}

* {{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/country_profiles/1210487.stm
|title=Country profile: Bolivia
|author= |pub=BBC News Online
|date=March 7,  2005     }}

* {{source|url=http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=4TDZXK5WW04OACRBAEOCFFA?type=topNews&storyID=7828315
|title=Bolivia President Submits Resignation
|author=Mario Roque |pub=Reuters
|date=March 7,  2005     }}

* {{source|url=http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=4TDZXK5WW04OACRBAEOCFFA?type=topNews&storyID=7830739
|title=Bolivia President Offers to Quit as Protests Mount
|author=Mario Roque |pub=Reuters
|date=March 7,  2005     }}

* {{source|url=http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7819860
|title=Bolivia President Mesa Resigns as Protests Spread
|author= |pub=Reuters |date=March 6,  2005 }}

* {{source|url=http://sg.news.yahoo.com/050307/1/3r333.html
|title=Bolivia's president resigns amid protests
|author=[[Agence France-Presse|AFP]] |pub=Yahoo! News |date=March 8,  2005 }}

* {{source|url=http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/bl.html
|title=The World Factbook - Bolivia
|author= |pub=CIA |date=February 10, 2005 }}

* {{source|url=http://www.vermelho.org.br/english/text/bolivia_convulsion.asp
|title=Bolivia in a state of convulsion
|author=Ronaldo Carmona |pub=Communist Party of Brazil
|date=October 10,  2003    }}

* {{source|url=http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=10202
|title=Boiling Bolivia
|author=Michael Radu |pub=FrontPage   |date=October 8,  2003 }}

* {{source|url=http://www.socialistworld.net/index2.html?/eng/2003/02/06brazil.html
|title=Lula, Chavez, and Evo Morales address World Social Forum
|author= |pub=socialistworld.net   |date=February 6,  2003 }}

* {{source|url=http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2002/501/501p16b.htm
|title=BOLIVIA: Who is Evo Morales?
|author=Alejandro Rodriguez |pub=Green Left Weekly   |date=July 24,  2002 }}

* {{source|url=http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/2002-07/14ralston.cfm
|title= Evo Morales and opposition to the US in Bolivia
|author= |pub=ZNet   |date=July 14,  2002 }}

* {{source|url=http://www.elmundo.com.bo/Secundaria.asp?edicion=07/03/2005&Tipo=Politica&Cod=1760
|title=Mesa pone su cargo a disposición y culpa a Evo de la crisis del país
|author= |pub=El Mundo (Bolivia) |date=March 8,  2005 }}

* {{source|url=http://www.prensaescrita.com/diarios.php?codigo=AME&pagina=http://www.laprensa.com.bo
|title=El conflicto cede, pero El Alto y Chapare insisten en bloquear
|author= |pub=La Prensa (Bolivia) |date=March 8,  2005 }}

* {{source|url=http://www.la-razon.com/Especial/Marzo/esp050307a.html |title=El Presidente renuncia; la decisión está en manos del Congreso |author= |pub=La Razón (Bolivia) |date=March 7,  2005 }}

* {{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/latin_america/newsid_4326000/4326305.stm |title= Bolivia: renunció Mesa |author= |pub=BBC News Online |date=March 7,  2005 }}

*{{source|url=http://eltiempo.terra.com.co/inte/latin/noticias/ARTICULO-WEB-_NOTA_INTERIOR-2000386.html |title= El presidente de Bolivia, Carlos Mesa, oficializó su renuncia |author= |pub=El Tiempo (Colombia) |date=March 7,  2005 }}

*{{source|url=http://www.lanacion.com.ar/685516 |title=Bolivia: Mesa presentó su renuncia al Congreso |author= |pub=La Nación (Argentina) |date=March 7,  2005 }}

*{{source|url=http://www.granma.cu/espanol/2003/diciembre/lun15/solidaridad.html
|title=Solidaridad en Bolivia con Cuba y Venezuela
|pub=Digital Gramma Internacional
|date=December 15, 2003
}}

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[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:Bolivia]]
[[Category:Hugo Chávez]]
[[Category:Fidel Castro]]
[[Category:South America]]
[[Category:Evo Morales]]
[[Category:Cocaine]]

[[de:Rücktritt des Bolivianischen Präsidenten Mesa]]
[[es:Renuncia el presidente de Bolivia]]
[[pt:O Presidente da Bolívia renuncia]]
[[sv:2005/03/08: Bolivias president avgår]]
The President of Bolivia  officially resigned Sunday,  March 6.  Now the President of Senate Hormando Vaca Díez  is the temporary President of the Republic of Bolivia. 

Mesa resigned because of the announcement of highways's blockages  by  coca growers and the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS).  The blockages serve to pressure the Legislative so the Hydrocarbons Law can be approved. The law aims to raise the taxes levied on hydrocarbon extraction from 18 to 50%.

The MAS is a political party formed basically by  coca-growing communists, admirers of indigenous people. The party is against the government of the liberalism|neoliberalism and the . Morales in his own words, explain some of the MAS motivations:
:The worst enemy of humanity is capitalism. That is what provokes uprisings like our own, a rebellion against a system, against a neoliberal model, which is the representation of a savage capitalism. If the entire world doesn't acknowledge this reality, that the national states are not providing even minimally for health, education and alimentation, then each day the most fundamental human rights are being violated.

Morales is an admirer of Fidel Castro and  he says he is inspired by the presidents of Hugo Chavez and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.  He supports the creation of an anti-imperialist block formed by Latin-American and Arabian countries against the USA, which is being organized by the Brazilian President.

Bolivia economy depends on exportation of  (oil and gas). Other sources  of resources comes from the cultivation of coca.
The coca growers demands the same treatment the government is giving to hydrocarbons. However, the production of coca in great quantities is controversial since the coca is the raw material of .  Cocaine is considered  illegal  in  Bolivia  and in the majority of other  countries

In October 2003, Morales caused the resignation of the President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada.  After the resignation of Lozada, Mesa, the vice-president, assumed the command of Bolivan government.

Morales said about the resignation of Mesa:"The  only resignation purpose is to blackmail, this resignation is not worth, it basically serves so the October agenda does not occurr (agenda purpose is nationalization of gas production and to proclaim a Constitutional Assembly Note:where politics propose a new Constitution). 

The blockades of roads  occurred  in two strategical places: at  the city of El Alto, neighboring to the capital, and at El Chapere, which binds the cities of Cochabamba and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. 

The country is divided. There were some protests and manifestations for and against Mesa.

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de:Rücktritt des Bolivianischen Präsidenten Mesa
es:Renuncia el presidente de Bolivia
O Presidente da Bolívia renuncia
sv:2005/03/08: Bolivias president avgår
Politics and conflicts Bolivia Hugo Chávez Fidel Castro South America Evo Morales Cocaine