by the El Reportero’s news services
On 3 August an opinion poll found that President Evo Morales’s support was running at between 54 percent and 59 percent. This level of support will mean that Morales should easily win the 10 August recall referendum. The problem is that a decision by the Corte Nacional Electoral (CNE) on 1 August may confuse the results of the eight recall referendums on departmental prefects. The likely outcome of the recall referendums is that the political chaos will continue and the leftwing federal government will continue to struggle with rightwing departmental governments in the east of the country. The only likely change is that the rightwingers will be weakened by the loss the prefectships of Cochabamba and, more surprisingly, Pando.
What the WTO failure means for Latin America
The latest collapse in the Doha round of talks to liberalise international trade, particularly in agriculture and services, is different from the previous collapse, at Cancún, Mexico in 2003. Then, Latin America broadly sided with the rest of the developing world. In Geneva this year, however, Latin America adopted a more independent position and acted as a constructive mediator between industrialised countries and less-economically developed countries. Some nifty diplomatic footwork by Latin America’s chief trade negotiator and Brazil’s experienced foreign minister, Celso Amorim, meant that the blame for the failure fell on the US, India, and China.
New pacts in Venezuelan Patriotic Alliance
CARACAS – Political parties conforming the Patriotic Alliance, coordinated by President Hugo Chavez, will announce Monday new electoral pacts in several Venezuelan states.
Caracas Mayor’s Office candidate Aristóbulo Isturiz said this weekend that the country will reveal important accords in the context of the union led by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).
According to the member of the national socialist leadership, spokespeople from leftwing organizations drawn together in the Alliance strengthen formulas of commitment in several departments for the November regional elections.
Isturiz stressed that meetings by PSUV and other political groups are positive. We have already achieved a perfect alliance in 10 states, he noted.
Cuba has trained over 6,000 foreign meds
HAVANA – Health workers trained in Cuba from 2005 to 2008 at the Latin American Medical School project (ELAM) and an accord with the Foreign Ministry (MINREX) sum 6,757 from 56 countries.
ELAM Rector, Dr. Juan Carrizo, says the doctors alone sum 6,254 from more than 30 countries, and 1,500 are from the 4th promotion at 21 ELAM schools through out Cuba.
ELAM, devised by Cuban Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, was set in motion late in 1998 following the havoc caused by hurricanes George and Mitch in Central America and the Caribbean where it helps meet serious health needs.
More observers in Bolivia referendum
LA PAZ – The August 10 revocation referendum will be the consultation with larger number of national and international observers in the history of the country, a government source reported Monday.
According to National Electoral Court president Jose Luis Exeni, the presence of observers will guarantee the transparence of this survey.
Over 200 foreign observers from international organizations and countries worldwide, as well as 4,000 from this country have been accredited for the referendum, Exeni stated.
According to the revocation law, promulgated May 12, Bolivian leaders to maintain their posts can not receive a figure of votes against higher to that obtained in the December 15, 2005 elections.
About 4,090,711 people are expected to vote this August 10 in Bolivia. (Latin News and Prensa Latina contributed to this report.)
