2000 2003 2006

1. Bolivian UprisingsTimeline we will be looking at: 2000 2003 2006 Water War (February) Economic Reforms/Structural Adjustments Black October/ Gas War Evo Morales takes office as first indigenous president

2. Gas War/Black October 2003 • The 2003 conflict had its roots in grievances over the government's economic policies concerning natural resources that started with the water war in January of 2000. • Even though the water war ended in April of 2000, the population started questioning the government: • Coca eradication policies • Corruption • Violent military responses against strikers • Ability of the government to act in behalf of the people • Overall economic policies implemented thorough the country • President during the Water War: General Hugo Banzer Suarez

3. The Unforgettable mark of History The dispute arose in early 2002, when the administration of President Jorge Quirogaproposed building the pipeline through Chile’s port of Mejillones, the most direct route to the Pacific Ocean. However, antagonism towards Chile runs deep in Bolivia because of the loss of Bolivia's Pacific coastline to Chile in the War of the Pacific (1879–1884). Bolivians began campaigning against the Chilean option, arguing instead that the pipeline should be routed north through the Peruvian Port Ilo. President Jorge Quiroga postponed the decision shortly before leaving office in July 2002 and left this highly contentious issue to his successor. It was thought Quiroga did not want to jeopardize his chances of re-election as president in the 2007 elections. After winning the 2002 presidential election Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada expressed his preference for the Mejillones option but made no "official" decision

4. Black October 2003 The social conflict escalated in September 2003 with protests and road blockages paralyzing large parts of the country, leading to increasingly violent confrontations with the Bolivian armed forces. Sánchez de Lozada was blamed for pandering to the US government's "war on drugs" and failing to improve living standards in Bolivia. On September 19, the National Coordination for the Defense of Gas mobilized 30,000 people in Cochabamba and 50,000 in La Paz to demonstrate against the pipeline. As the protests continued, protesters in El Alto, a sprawling indigenous city of 750,000 people on the periphery of La Paz, proceeded to block key access routes to the capital causing severe fuel and food shortages. They demanded the resignation of Sánchez de Lozada and his ministers.

5. On October 13, the administration of Sánchez de Lozada suspended the gas project "until consultations have been conducted [with the Bolivian people]." However, Vice President Carlos Mesa deplored what he referred to as the "excessive force" used in El Alto (80 dead in one day) and withdrew his support for Sánchez de Lozada. The Minister of Economic Development, Jorge Torrez, of the MIR party, also resigned. October 18, 2003: President Lozada resigned and fled to the US, and he is being persecuted by the Bolivian government under charges of mass murder. He was succeeded by the vice president, Carlos Mesa, who put the gas issue to a referendum on July 18, 2004. On May 6, 2005, the Bolivian Congress passed a new law raising taxes from 18% to 32% on profits made by foreign companies on the extraction of oil and gas. However, many protesters felt this law was inadequate and demanded full nationalization of the gas and oil industry.

6. 2005 conflict escalation: Over 80,000 people participated in the May 2005 protests. Tens of thousands of people each day walked from El Alto to the capital La Paz, where protesters effectively shut down the city, bringing transportation to a halt through strikes and blockades, and engaging in street battles with police. Approximately half a million people mobilized in the streets of La Paz, on June 6, and President Mesa subsequently offered his resignation. The two candidates in the line of succession to become President, who were strongly disliked by the protesters, each declared they would not accept succession to the presidency. Finally promoting Edwardo Rodriguez, Supreme Court Chief Justice, to the Presidency. Considered apolitical and hence trustworthy by most, his administration was a temporary one until elections could be held.

7. The raise of Evo Morales and the end of the uprisings • Congress and President Eduardo Rodgriguez decided to move up the 2007 elections to December 2005.At a gathering of farmers celebrating the 10th anniversary of the founding of MAS in March 2005, Morales declared, "MAS is ready to rule Bolivia", having "consolidated its position as the [prime] political force in the country". He also said, "the problem is not winning the elections anymore but knowing how to rule the country” • Elections took place in December 18, and by December 22, the official count was at 53.899% of the vote, with 98.697% of the ballots tallied, and no congressional vote was necessary to determine the winner. • By 2008, Morales had nationalized: • nationalizing oil, mines, gas, and communications. • A Constituent Assembly was convened in 2006, which produced a final text of a new Constitution in December 2007. It was approved in the Bolivian constitutional referendum, 2009.

8. Morales’ Slogan : “ I’m married to Bolivia” Evo Morales is not married, and in several interviews he has been asked whether or not he has thought of marrying, he always answers, “I am married to Bolivia” Bolivia’s relations with the US have deteriorated since the water war, and today they remain fragile.