Evo Morales Leads March in Santa Cruz

[Judi Lynn]

Evo Morales Leads March in Santa Cruz
Monday 23 November 2009

SANTA CRUZ, BOLIVIA - Bolivian President Evo Morales is leading a march Sunday through all districts of Santa Cruz as the campaign for the December 6 general elections comes to an end.

The Head of State said during a mass rally last Monday in which he was proclaimed as candidate to the Bolivian presidency, that visiting the streets of Santa Cruz would be the best way to pay tribute to those who support change in that territory that is bastion of the opposition.

Morales insisted the march would be peaceful and a democratic celebration in contrast to last week violent actions by groups that attacked a meeting of supporters of the ruling Movement towards Socialism (MAS) near the Gabriel Rene Moreno University.

Students paid by opposition Progress Plan for Bolivia-National Convergence (PPB-CN), whose candidate is the former civil governor of Cochabamba Manfred Reyes Villa, were accused of those attacks.

Local radio and television reporters were also attacked during the disturbance.

Morales is also using the Santa Cruz march to mustering support for MAS senator and representative candidates and minimizing the likelihood of the so-called "crossed vote", which would give Morales the presidency but would also place a majority of opponents in the new Plurinational Legislative Assembly.

Nearly five million Bolivians will elect on December 6 the President and Vice President as well as the 166 members of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly as the bicameral Congress wil be called as of 2010.

http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2009/november/23/latam-091123-03.htm