Government and COB establish 3% wage increase for the basic salary and 4% for the national minimum wage

 The national government and the Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) established on Wednesday night a wage increase of 3% for the basic salary and 4% for the national minimum, in order to maintain the security and economic stability of the country.

This decision was taken at a meeting between President Luis Arce, ministers of State and the main representatives of the COB, headed by Juan Carlos Huarachi, at the Casa Grande del Pueblo.

"It has been agreed that the increase of the basic salary for 2022 will be 3% and the increase of the national minimum wage will be 4%", informed the President in a press conference.

Arce ratified his commitment to continue working for the welfare of Bolivians and acknowledged the maturity of the COB leaders to assume this decision for the good of the economy and stability of the country.

Arce said that in that meeting, which lasted about 4 hours, the COB workers were explained "in detail" the technical data handled by the government on the current economic situation, after overcoming the effects of COVID-19 and the mismanagement left by the de facto government.

"We are absolutely aware that this first achievement will give us the basis to continue advancing in all the pending issues with the COB," he said.

For his part, the executive secretary of the COB, Juan Carlos Huarachi, welcomed the willingness and commitment of the head of state to meet the demands of the workers and ratified that this organization will continue working to improve the productive apparatus.

"We are once again ratifying a commitment that we workers are going to guarantee the political stability of our Government", he endorsed.

Cochabamba: Chilean citizen gunned down in broad daylight

  A 46-year-old Chilean citizen was attacked by a man, presumably also a foreigner, who shot him four times in different parts of his body. The police presumes that there are other people involved in this case.

The departmental commander of the Police, Rubén Lobatón, informed that a man of Chilean nationality who used crutches to move around with his partner was getting into his vehicle after leaving a micro-market on América Avenue between Héctor Cossio and Washington Streets. When the victim entered her vehicle and while the woman was surrounding the van, a man appeared to directly fire five shots: four in the man's body and one in the vehicle.

In the images of the security cameras of the businesses, it is observed -before the shots were fired- two subjects walking seconds after the victim, together with her partner, was leaving the micro-market. One had a helmet and a backpack, while the other only had a backpack.

Lobaton said that plan "Z" was activated to find this or other subjects who participated in this attack against the Chilean. The investigations have already begun and with the support of the security cameras of the neighboring properties it will be possible to catch the alleged perpetrators of the bloodshed. According to witnesses who were there when the bloodshed occurred, everything was quiet as usual, until they heard a scream and gunshots; they did not leave out of fear, but they did see the woman (wife of the Chilean), trembling and nervous.

"It was all normal, until I heard gunshots. I got scared, I was afraid. It was gunshots and I did not go out or help, I stayed and hid", was the account of one of the witnesses. 

Unofficially it is known that the health of the Chilean is delicate due to the fact that the bullet impacts compromised organs that complicate his recovery. The wounded man was taken to the María de los Ángeles clinic, where he underwent surgeries to save his life; however, he lost his left eye due to the bullet impact. The police authority indicated that the case is under investigation. There are several hypotheses, among them, a settling of scores.

From Pumari to Costas, Camacho turned his back on five allies

 Vladimir Peña indicated that the Governor of Santa Cruz "has become the Judas of the opposition". Creemos, the political front he leads, defends him.

Luis Fernando Camacho, governor of Santa Cruz, turned his back on five of his allies. Santa Cruz politicians qualify him as a disloyal person who now seeks to "take out of the game" regional figures that could overshadow him.

The people with whom he had this behavior are: Marco Pumari, Jeanine Añez, Angélica Sosa, Jhonny Fernández and Rubén Costas.

In December 2021, former civic leader Marco Pumari, who was his candidate for Vice-President in 2020, was arrested due to the 2019 post-electoral conflicts. Camacho could not make it to Potosí to follow up on the case. "Camacho did not defend neither Pumari who was his running mate, nor his bench", argued Nadia Beller, jurist and former legislator candidate.

On December 8, 2019, an audio was broadcast in which a voice attributed to Pumari asks Camacho for Customs and 250 thousand dollars. In an interview on CNN, the Santa Cruz native was in evidence as the one who leaked that material to the media.

In March, Camacho pointed against the "corruption" of the transitional government. However, according to sources of that administration, when Jeanine Añez assumed the Presidency, the then civic "went with a list to appoint ministers". They indicate that he placed people he trusted at the head of at least eight ministries.

Congressman Omar Rueda, from Creemos, detailed that for the general elections of 2020 Jhonny Fernández lent Camacho the acronym of Unión Cívica Solidaridad (UCS) so that he could run.

"UCS lent Camacho the acronym for a national project and used it for a departmental project only for him to benefit. He made an agreement with Angélica Sosa (...). When it was the subnational elections he asked us for support for Sosa, and we could not betray Jhonny, as deputies of the UCS faction", he indicated.

In December 2021, Camacho argued that there was an alleged conspiracy between the Movimiento Al Socialismo and former mayors Percy Fernández and Sosa, for the case of phantom items. "The height of cynicism. The scandal of the 800 items occurred when MAS was an ally of that administration", he emphasized.

Desirée Bravo, former councilwoman of Santa Cruz Para Todos (SPT), detailed that Sosa supported Camacho for both national and subnational elections. "Architect Sosa announced that SPT made alliance with Camacho for the national issue and then for the Governorship. It shows that he is a politician like those of the past, that when the ship sinks, he jumps," he complemented.

In the last month of last year, the Santa Cruz Government denounced Rubén Costas for allegedly using resources from the fight against covid for the propaganda of his mayoral candidates. Days ago, the Governor branded his predecessor as a traitor of the autonomy.

Vladimir Peña, former member of Demócratas, indicated that Costas was warned that an alliance with Camacho was risky because he would be disloyal to him.

"Camacho handed Costas and the Democrats on a silver platter to MAS. He made use of the Democrats to get to the governorship, so that they would not put up a candidate and so that he would give them his structure for the campaign and electoral control. Camacho has become the Judas of the opposition", said Peña.

Beller expressed that the Governor of Santa Cruz does not want to have competition in Santa Cruz, as he did when he was candidate for Governor. He added that with these actions he wants to divert the attention on "his bad management".

"To Angélica Sosa he denied her, after she supported him in his campaign. With Jhonny Fernandez he fought and that he lent him the acronym to be a candidate. He had quotas in the transition and denied Jeanine Añez. It is the disloyal character that Camacho has, he is disloyal with himself and with his principles. Many people supported him and now he received Camacho's stab", he added.

Página Siete called and sent a message to Camacho to have his counterpart. The Communication Unit of the Governor's Office referred as spokesman to Congressman Andres Romero, who said that there is a commission in charge of the follow-up of the Pumari process. At the same time he maintained that the ministries in the transition were a request of the civic movement.

"The Civic Committee made a call not to divide the vote, so not only one alliance, all the political tents gave their support to Luis Fernando Camacho", said the opponent. 

Wage increase was not discussed: after the meeting with the minister, businessmen say that the negative effects will be the government's responsibility

 In the words of the president of the private businessmen, Luis Barbery, there was no opportunity to talk about the salary increase in the first meeting held this Monday with the Ministry of Economy. "Absolutely nothing, there was no need to touch that subject because the positions are already clear, the Government has its own position, and so do the businessmen. The concerns we have regarding the effects of the salary increase have not changed, it is the Government's responsibility", he said at the end of the meeting that lasted two hours.

"We are going to abide by the law, and the Government will have to bear the consequences (of the increase)", Barbery stressed, warning that the businessmen cannot sustain the increase "because the conditions of the country do not allow for it".

He also said that they have agreed to meet periodically to discuss all issues related to economic reactivation and employment generation.

The expected meeting of the businessmen with the Government was a disappointment for the workers because the wage increase was not addressed in this meeting, this was also confirmed by the Minister of Economy, Marcelo Montenegro.

"No, the issue was not raised by the businessmen, only the ones we have mentioned", said the minister when he was consulted about the wage negotiation that should have been part of this meeting.

Meanwhile, the businessmen stated that it is no longer possible to talk about the wage increase because the positions are clear and that they will abide by the Government's decree on this issue.  

The president of the Confederation of Private Businessmen of Bolivia (CEPB), Luis Barbery left the meeting in a little less than two hours. The businessmen refused to explain how much a significant salary increase would affect the sector and only said that the Government is responsible for the management of the country's economy and that the private sector will abide by the provisions.

The Executive is expected to issue the wage increase decree on May 1 in honor of Workers' Day and is now holding meetings with workers to set the percentage increase to the national minimum wage and the workers' basic wage.

According to Minister Montenegro, the businessmen addressed issues such as agribusiness, ethanol supply, the supply chain, foreign trade and the regulation of export procedures.

After President Arce's son denounces YPFB case, Ethics Tribunal issues ruling against Amalia Pando

 After the son of President Luis Arce, Luis Marcelo Arce Mosqueira, filed a complaint before the National Tribunal of Journalistic Ethics (TNEP) of the Association of Journalists of La Paz (APLP) about a case related to YPFB, that body issued a resolution against journalist Amalia Pando.

"That journalist Amalia Pando Vega must observe in her journalistic work the ethical requirement of truthfulness and contextualization of the facts she reports", states point 1 of Resolution 005/2022, which was signed by the members of the Journalistic Ethics Tribunal, issued last April 20.

It also states that journalist Pando must consider the ethical requirement of informative balance, which obliges her to present different facets of the information, consulting both parties and counterparts.

Furthermore, in the spirit of respect for the differentiation between information and opinion, she is recommended to apply this requirement in her journalistic work.

You can also read: President Arce's son is reported to have worked in YPFB with a salary of Bs 35,000.

"Within the non-punitive, but ethical scope of the (TNEP), journalist Amalia Pando, and under Article 25, numeral 1, of its Operating Regulations, must ratify through the right to reply the published journalistic note with the pertinent clarifications or formulating the apologies of the case", resolved the Court.

On January 30, journalist Pando, through her program Cabildeó Digital, published the article entitled: "The secret negotiation of Arce's son with Venezuela", in which she pointed out that the eldest son of President Luis Arce traveled in April 2021 to Caracas to negotiate the possibility that the state-owned Petroquímica de Venezuela would take over the Urea Plant operated by YPFB.

The TNEP mentions that Arce Mosqueira's complaint was admitted last March 24, after which both parties were notified. 

The 800 kilos of drugs that "disappeared" in Beni have a value of US$ 1.6 million

  El ministro de Gobierno, Eduardo del Castillo, afirmó este viernes que los 800 kilos de cocaína que desaparecieron tras un operativo en Beni están valuados en 1,6 millones de dóalres. Ocho efectivos antidroga están implicados y serán cautelados por la Justicia.

"Si calculamos, estamos hablando de aproximadamente 800 kilos, se puede hablar de 1,6 millones de dólares, en atención de que cada ladrillo de cocaína costaría mínimamente 2.000 dólares", dijo Del Castillo a los medios.

La autoridad indicó que los 800 kilos de cocaína están "desaparecidos" y que ocho efectivos de la Grupo de Inteligencia y Operaciones Especiales (GIOE) Amazonía están aprehendidos y fueron puestos a disposición del Ministerio Público para su procesamiento.

"Estamos hablando de ocho personas, efectivos de GIOE Amazonia, de distintos grados. Han utilizado tanto vehículos de la Felcn como un vehículo particular esconder esta sustancia controlada", explicó.

Según los datos, el cargamento de droga fue secuestrado el 17 de abril y los registros de la fuerza antidroga dan cuenta del ingreso de sólo 431 kilos de droga, cuando el dato real de decomiso ascendía a 1.200 kilos.

"El pasado 17 de abril, a las tres de la tarde, personal del GIOE Amazonía se dirige hacia el municipio de San Borja porque se contaba con información del personal de Inteligencia, de la existencia de pistas clandestinas en este lugar. Los efectivos observan una estancia denominada Los Nicos, donde se encuentra armas de fuego de diverso calibre, una pista clandestina y tierra removida, donde se procede a la excavación y se encuentra una carpa azul con paquetes de sustancias controladas", relató.

Inteligencia de la Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico (Felcn) encontró audios en los que se escucha a los "dueños" de la droga presionar a los efectivs para que devuelvan los 800 kilos "desaparecidos".

“Ante distintas denuncias y la información que se logra recabar por la misma Fuerza Especial de Lucha Contra el Narcotráfico se determina que no era toda la sustancia controlada la que había sido secuestrada. La Dirección General de la Felcn logra interceptar unas conversaciones donde se empiezan a realizar amenazas al personal de la Felcn que había operado en este lugar en atención de que ya se tenía conocimiento que la carga tenía un peso aproximado de 431 kilogramos de clorhidrato de cocaína”, detalló Del Castillo ante la prensa.

Sobre la situación de los efectivos que participaron en el desvío de la droga, el Ministro señaló que esta tarde se llevará a cabo su audiencia de medidas cautelares.

"Esos efectivos que posiblemente estén protegiendo a organizaciones criminales, que han desviado una carga de aproximadamente 800 kilos ya han sido debidamente aprehendidos por el Ministerio Público y se va a llevar a cabo su audiencia de medidas cautelares", dijo.

Asimismo agregó que para el desvío de la cocaína se usaron motorizados de la Felcn y un motorizado particular que fue identificado.

"Han utilizado vehículos de la Felcn, de la dirección de prevención de consumo de sustancias controladas y un vehículo particular para esconder la sustancia controlada, son los vehículos que están siendo buscados en este momento", explicó.

Deputies approve amendment to the Penal Code and increase from 5 to 20 years sentence for judges who free femicides

 It was proposed that the sanctions should also apply to magistrates, judges, lawyers and others. The bill was sent to the Senate.

The plenary of the Chamber of Deputies approved yesterday Bill 179/2021-2022, which establishes modifications to the Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Code of Penal Execution and Supervision, and determines to increase the penalties from 5 and 10 years to 20 years in prison for judges who benefit those accused of the crimes of femicide, infanticide and rape.

"We cannot remain indifferent to these facts that have caused mourning and pain in Bolivian families. In attention to the victims and their families we proposed this project to give them back their dignity. The purpose is not only to toughen the penalties so that other judges or prosecutors do not dare to commit these crimes. We are also going to avoid that feminicides, infanticides and rapists are free in the streets", emphasized the president of the Commission of Plural Justice, Public Ministry, and drafter of the norm, the congresswoman Lidia Tupa.

The bill was sent to the Senate for review and approval.

Among the modifications made to the Penal Code are the adjustment of article 173 on Prevaricato, to extend the penalty of imprisonment up to 20 years for judges or prosecutors who issue resolutions contrary to the Political Constitution of the State and other norms, in cases of femicide, rape and infanticide. The penalty for this crime is currently 5 to 10 years.

In the case of article 174 referred to Consortiums, the sanctions of 5 to 10 years only reached judges, prosecutors, lawyers and other assistants of the justice service who seek economic benefits in an illegal manner.

Now, with the proposed regulation, this penalty will also apply to magistrates, judges, conciliators, lawyers, police officers, experts, doctors and social workers. 

In addition, it establishes modifications to article 231, so that those accused of feminicide, infanticide and rape, cannot enjoy other precautionary measures other than preventive detention.

It also projects changes in article 239 so that the person deprived of liberty for acts of feminicide, rape or infanticide, who is seriously ill or terminally ill, may request the cessation of the precautionary measures as long as he/she can prove it through a medical certificate issued by the Institute of Forensic Investigation (IDIF).

It also modifies Article 174, which establishes that parole will not proceed in the three crimes of femicide, infanticide and rape. 

Bolivia asks the ICJ to recognize its sovereignty over Silala waters

  Bolivia asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday to declare the sovereign right of that country over the waters of the Silala River, in its counterclaim as part of the dispute it maintains with Chile before that court.

In the penultimate day of oral arguments before the ICJ in The Hague, the agent (main representative) of the Bolivian side, the diplomat Roberto Calzadilla, asked the court to declare the Bolivian right to the channels on the Silala that are in its territory.

Regarding these artificial canals, Calzadilla asked for the recognition of the Bolivian right to decide in a sovereign way when and how to carry out maintenance tasks.

Calzadilla also asked the ICJ to declare Bolivia's sovereignty over the "artificial flow" of the Silala waters in its territory, and that "Chile has no acquired rights" over this water flow.

Furthermore, the Bolivian diplomat argued, any claim by Chile over access to the waters of the Silala River, as well as conditions and compensation, "are subject to the conclusion of an agreement with Bolivia".

ICJ judges will hear Chile's reply to the dispute on Thursday, at the close of the cycle of oral arguments.

The court's final decision may still take months or even years, but it is binding and cannot be appealed.

The day before, the agent of the Chilean delegation, Ximena Fuentes, had asked the ICJ to declare the fluvial system of the Silala River as an "international watercourse".

She also asked the ICJ to rule on Chile's right to the use of "the waters of the Silala river system, in accordance with customary international law".

This case dates back to 2016, when Chile filed a claim in the midst of another dispute between the two countries before the same ICJ, in which the Bolivian side asked to force the Chilean authorities to negotiate a sovereign outlet to the sea.

In 2018, this same court argued that Chile was not "legally obliged to negotiate" an exit to the sea with Bolivia.

In that context, Bolivia's then president, Evo Morales, threatened to reduce the flow of water from the Silala to Chile's Atacama Desert and to impose tariffs for its use.

Chile and Bolivia have been at loggerheads for decades over the status of river and maritime waters.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries have been broken since 1978, when the last attempt to negotiate Bolivia's access to the Pacific Ocean failed.

Torrential rain floods neighborhoods and streets of Santa Cruz and leaves serious damage

Images of the storm have gone viral on social networks. The Santa Cruz Mayor's Office set up a hotline 800 12 5050 to report emergencies. 

After two hours of torrential rain, the streets and avenues of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra turned into rivers. The intense rainfall collapsed the drainage channels causing risky situations for pedestrians, but also for vehicles, which were swept away and flooded.

The storm has left serious damage to public infrastructure and property in the city. The damage count has begun.  

An image of a person being swept away by the water current was disseminated in social networks, however no further information is known.

The Municipal Secretariat of Citizen Security and Supply of the Santa Cruz Mayor's Office set up a hotline 800 12 5050 to report emergencies.

Neighbors used social networks to report the damages in several neighborhoods of the capital city of Santa Cruz.

"It is dangerous to cross the bridge", said a pedestrian, who was walking in the middle of the flooded streets. It is known that public transportation stopped operating due to the risk posed by the force of the water.

In some images it was observed how some vehicles were swept away by the intense flow that formed in the avenues. Some vehicles fell into the canals. 

One of the images that has gone viral at this time is that of a driver who had to climb onto the roof of his car, which was almost submerged in water, in the vicinity of the Eagles School.

Meanwhile, in the northern area of the city, a crane ended up stuck in a drainage channel while trying to help different vehicles dragged by the water.

Police officers also reported that two puppies were rescued after they fell into the drainage channel and were swept away by the waters in the seventh ring.

"Due to the rains, 2 furry dogs fell into the drainage channel and were being swept away by the current. Upon noticing the fact, our police officers from the Integral Police Station No. 9 entered the channel and managed to rescue the 2 furry ones," read a publication of the law enforcement agency. 

Minister Del Castillo denies coordination with DEA and rules out arrest warrants for Valle Sacta case

 Evo denounced that the U.S. agency operates from some ministries. The head of government maintains that all institutions work within the framework of sovereignty. 

The Minister of Government, Eduardo del Castillo, ruled out on Monday that there is coordination with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of the United States (US), as denounced on Sunday by former President Evo Morales.

The authority emphasized that all state institutions work within the framework of sovereignty and in compliance with current regulations. "I have no knowledge whatsoever", he indicated with respect to the affirmations of the coca growers' leader.

"This is completely false, there is no type of coordination by the Ministry of Government with the DEA, the work of the Bolivian Police and all its divisions and directions, is a work framed within the sovereignty and the legal regulations in force, there is no type of coordination with the DEA", he stressed.


Morales denounced on Sunday that there is a national and international campaign to discredit the Cochabamba tropic zone and, especially, its leaders, its leaders such as Andrónico Rodríguez, Leonardo Loza and himself. "I don't know if that, the DEA (is) within some ministry or some ministries trying to implicate and demonize the peasant movement of the Cochabamba tropics," he accused.

Regarding the investigation on the "frustrated" operation in Valle Sacta (Entre Ríos), the minister denied that there are arrest warrants against former anti-narcotics chiefs and said that the investigation will determine responsibilities on the facts.

"The Police does not issue arrest warrants, there is no arrest warrant for this case and these investigations will continue, we have already presented the criminal complaint and the administrative complaints, and it will be the investigation that will determine the guilt or the veracity of these audios", he said.

Young militants intercept Evo and ask him for a congress

 Former president Evo Morales was intercepted by a group of young militants in Sacaba, Cochabamba, who asked him to call a congress of the youth of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS).

"Brother Evo the youth is with you. Brother Evo, congress, nothing more we ask, congress", said a young woman to the former president and president of MAS, according to a video broadcast by journalist Horacio Martinez, in social networks.

The former president was talking with a group of people, when the young people appeared to make this request, while Morales with some gestures asked for calm.

The youths made a protest on the premises where the MAS youths' meeting was going to take place in Cochabamba.

"What do we want comrades? Congress, when? Now (...) Youth, youth", chanted the young MAS militants.

Preliminarily, it is known that this event occurred in the National Enlarged of the MAS Youth, which began on Saturday in the municipality of Sacaba.

Yesterday, MAS Vice President, Gerardo García, informed that different delegations of the country, made up of young people between 16 and 28 years of age, were going to participate in this event.

"They are beginning to enter the delegations to this expanded to be able to discuss, debate, analyze what we are going to do in time to a call for a national youth congress, that is the underlying theme," Garcia said yesterday to radio Kawsachun coca.

Evo and Russia: "They want to force Bolivia to support the US and NATO".

  After political leaders in opposition to MAS criticized Bolivia's pro-Russian stance in aligning with the US, former president Evo Morales responded via Twitter that they are trying to force Bolivia to support NATO and its allies.

Morales posted on his twitter account on Saturday: "Right-wing politicians, operators and coup plotters are trying with a campaign of lies to force Bolivia to align itself and submit to the US. They are aggressive with the people, but submissive to the culture of death, invasion and interventionism and armament of the US and NATO".

The UN General Assembly decided on Thursday to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council by a vote of 93 countries in favor and 24 against, including Bolivia; 58 other nations abstained.

"Bolivia did not even abstain, but directly voted against suspending Russia from the UN HR Council. This pro-Russian radicalization is due to pressure from Evo. His anti-US sentiment has already caused several failures for the country and even for MAS", assured Samuel Dora Medina in his Twitter account.

In another tweet, Tuto Quiroga disqualified the defense of the crimes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is carrying out on Ukrainian soil with the invasion of his army.

"They were defeated, but this ignominious vote does enormous damage to GOB-#Bolivia, which went from "passive abstention" to frontal support for #Putin's crimes," reads Quiroga's tweet.

Jeanine Añez: I did not lift a finger to be president and I worked with the Assembly.

In the oral trial against him for an alleged coup d'état, Añez told the judges how he became President. He said that he came to office by constitutional succession and did not coordinate with the military or the police.

Jeanine Añez took the floor in the oral trial for the "Coup d'Etat II" case, said that she "did not move a finger" to become President and blamed Evo Morales for the violent events of 2019, considering that if he had complied with the Constitution regarding the limit of repostulations, the confrontations would have been avoided.

Añez indicated that he took office by constitutional succession and that up to that moment he did not know any of the high military or police commanders. He called the former presidents of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies "cowards" for not assuming this responsibility. She indicated that when she assumed the leadership of the State, she worked with the Legislative Assembly.

"It was not Añez (referring to herself) who gave instructions, orders. I did not move a finger to reach the Presidency. My name began to appear in the media by constitutional succession. I could have said no because at that time the president (Evo Morales), the vice president (Álvaro García Linera), the president of the Chamber of Senators, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, the vice president of the Chamber of Senators had resigned. That is why (the responsibility) fell on Jeanine Añez", said yesterday the former president in the oral trial.

Yesterday's hearing was held in person at the Miraflores prison, where the former president has been held since March of last year. It was the first time she appeared before a court in person. The police deployed an operation to prevent MAS supporters from protesting at the prison gates, as it happened in past hearings, which once affected the health of the accused.

In her statement, Añez recounted the events that led her to lead Bolivia since November 2019 for almost a year. "We all know the convulsion that the country was going through, we were all witnesses. It has its origin. None of this would have happened if Evo Morales had respected the Constitution which is clear: The president and vice president have the right to be reelected only once," she said.

The former president said that Morales was seeking a "fourth reelection", "he wanted to elect himself eternally". That "arbitrary" decision had a response from the people that grew with the denunciations of electoral fraud.

"At that time I was an elected senator and I was in my apartment doing a peaceful demonstration like any other citizen," she said. Añez mentioned that she had "parliamentary privilege" and assured that for that reason she could not be accused in an ordinary trial. "I do not recognize this court or the accusation". She indicated that she should be subjected to a trial of responsibilities.

She considered that if she had committed "some transgression" as senator, it was up to the Assembly to send the case to an ethics commission, but they did not do so at the time. "On the contrary, (the Legislative) endorsed the constitutional succession, we worked in a coordinated manner. I did not know that a 'de facto government' had an assembly," he said.

She recalled that before assuming the Presidency there were already deaths in the streets.  She said that they accuse her of having "contacts" with military and police, but she was in Trinidad. "How is it possible that she is a super senator who was manipulating everything to take power. Nothing could be more false. She had no voice or vote for anything, she was in the street as a citizen."

Añez questioned Adriana Salvatierra, former president of the Senate, and Víctor Borda, former president of Deputies, for not accepting the leadership of the country. "They did not have the courage to assume the Presidency because they were cowards, because they knew they had a country in flames due to the upheaval".  

She denied that she had made "arrangements" with the military so that they would wait for her in La Paz. "I want to tell you that I do not know the gentlemen who are now accused (...) the military or police. I was not in a position to instruct, nor give orders to anyone, nor in my party," she said. 

Añez said that she arrived in the city of El Alto in a commercial plane and a military helicopter was waiting for her. She was in the company of the now former senator Óscar Ortiz. Both were afraid of being kidnapped because "the military was working with Morales", but they did it because there were no conditions to go down to La Paz by car.

That night they arrived at the Military College. The next day they tried to install the Assembly and "everyone" assumed that she would be the successor after the series of resignations. She said that at that time the violence was almost unstoppable, the houses of Casimira Lema, Waldo Albarracin, six police modules and the PumaKatari in La Paz were burned.

"We met with the parliamentarians and we had the obligation to find a solution because the cowards fled. By that time, Morales and (García) Linera left for Mexico, did I provoke that?" he asked. "Therefore, they cannot say it was orchestrated. I was a product or consequence of this situation. That was my crime, to pacify the country, to assume power by constitutional succession", he said.

At that time there were already institutions that sought to pacify the country and meetings were held, such as the one at the Catholic University. "At that moment my name did not come up, but that of the second vice-presidency. They asked me -respecting the constitutional succession- if I would assume power. I answered that if I have the support, why I am not going to impose myself and I assumed it as such", he said.

After his statement, Añez invoked his right to silence and avoided answering questions from the Prosecutor's Office. In the afternoon, the two ex-chiefs of the Military High Command, Jorge Pastor Mendieta Ferrufino and Flavio Gustavo Arce San Martín, testified from the San Pedro prison. The hearing went into a new recess until Tuesday, April 12, at 10:00. 

Former military chiefs reject accusations and reveal data

In the oral trial for the "Coup d'Etat II" case, the former chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Flavio Gustavo Arce San Martin said yesterday that he "does not understand exactly why he was accused". "I have not participated directly in any of those facts."

"My function I exercised as of December 24, 2018. I was the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (FFAA). I culminated on November 12, 2019," he indicated. "My person did not fulfill the position of commander in chief of the FFAA and my functions were strictly of direction, planning and supervision of the work developed by the General Staff, the collegiate body that contributes to the commander's tasks," he said.

He continued: "I issued orders and instructions to carry out the decisions adopted by the commander in chief. The one who makes decisions in the Armed Forces is the commander-in-chief.

Regarding the accusations against him, Arce said that the use of helicopters is in charge of the Air Force and that the landing at the Military College depends on the authorization of a force other than his own. He emphasized that no member of the Air Force or the Military College mentioned him in his statements.

New revelations

In the oral trial, former Army Commander Jorge Pastor Mendieta testified yesterday that former Armed Forces Commander Williams Kaliman maintained permanent contact with former President Evo Morales until the moment when the plane that took him out of the country took off from Chimoré.

He also said that when the aircraft was about to take off, Kaliman asked Morales why he was leaving the country. According to the military officer, the former president responded that the military "studied for that", that they were experts in "negotiating" and that the bases had surpassed him. He also stated that the former president suggested Kaliman to negotiate with the former Minister of Rural Development, César Cocarico. 

Argentine journalist calls Bolivian vice-consul a "delinquent" and embassy announces actions

In one of her programs, journalist Viviana Canosa accused the diplomat of appropriating land in the municipality of La Matanza.

 

The Argentine journalist Viviana Canosa, host of the program "Viviana con vos", of the A24 channel, called the Bolivian Vice Consul in Buenos Aires Mauricio Pinaya a "delinquent", whom she blamed for the blockade on the Riccheri highway. In response, the Embassy of the Plurinational State of Bolivia in Argentina announced that it will file a complaint for defamation.

Background information shows that on April 1, journalist Canosa referred to the blockade suffered by those living near the Riccheri highway -which connects to the municipality of La Matanza- and accused the Bolivian vice-consul of having "usurped" the land.

"The Bolivian vice-consul usurped land and apart from that he wants them to pay for the services, to connect the electricity, it's a joke. Go back to Bolivia, vice-consul, and stop breaking your balls," said Canosa.

"Bring him to me and I will teach him how to pay taxes, go back to Bolivia, don't be a delinquent, you are squandering land that is not yours and on top of that you are cutting the highway", he continued.

In a statement, the Embassy of Bolivia in Argentina expressed its concern and pointed out that these are xenophobic and discriminatory expressions.

"The Embassy of Bolivia in Argentina, through the corresponding channels, will present before the respective instances the formal complaints for defamations to the Bolivian personnel accredited in this country," said a statement issued on Monday.

It added that the complaint will also be filed against lawyer Florencia Arietto, who last March 31, through her Twitter account, accused the Bolivian consular authority of the blockade on the Riccheri highway, "lacking the truth and denting the dignity of a representative of Bolivia in Argentina." 

The Bolivian journalist in Buenos Aires Marcelo Orellana reported this Tuesday to Página Siete Digital that the neighbors who live in the area Barrio Puente 13, with a majority presence of Bolivian residents, installed last Wednesday blocking points on the Riccheri highway in protest for the cutting of electric power and removal of wiring.

"The municipality came and cut our cable. We are suffering an outrage from the municipality, we are 720 families who live here and we are not going to move, we demand that they put the light back on," said a Bolivian resident.

"We are Bolivians, but our children are Argentines, we have no electricity or water, we have access to water from pumps", said another Bolivian woman to TV Radio La Nueva.

Vice Consul Pinaya went to the place, talked for a few minutes with the Bolivian residents and left the place, local media reported. The blockade was lifted on Thursday last week.