Bolivia's ruling party, opposition agree to referendum on constitution
21/10/2008 17:31
Bolivia's ruling party and opposition reached an agreement yesterday to
call a referendum on a new constitution after several days of dialogue,
according to news reports reaching in Lima from La Paz, administrative capital
of Bolivia.
The agreement sets the date of the referendum on Jan. 25, 2009,
and sometime in December 2009 for the legislative and presidential
elections,said Senator Felix Rojas from the ruling party Movement Towards
Socialism (MAS). Rojas announced the agreement yesterday with Senator Luis
Vasquez from the opposition Social Democratic Power (Podemos).
The
legislators said they had reached an important agreement to answer the Bolivian
people, who had been assembling at the Murillo Square in La Paz since yesterday
morning.
It was reported that congressmen from the opposition party dropped
their protest after President Evo Morales agreed to limit himself to running for
one more term in office.
Vasquez said the agreement will prevent Morales from
prolonging his control of power.
Essential issues had been resolved,
contributing to the pacification of the country and avoiding clashes, Vasquez
was quoted as saying.
The constitution proposed by Morales, which was
approved by parliament late last year, is expected to give the country's
indigenous more rights and financial benefits.
However, the opposition was
vehemently against a referendum needed to turn the draft constitution into law,
saying the document does not meet their demand for greater autonomy in the
opposition-controlled eastern provinces.
Xinhua
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