Mesa Offers Resignation

After a combative day  on the streets of La Paz and more than two weeks of turmoil in Bolivia, President Carlos Mesa has offered his resignation from the Presidency. He appeared tonight at approximately 9:45pm, live from the Presidential Palace, to let his country and the world know that he no can longer lead a nation in such a divided and tumultous state.  He affirmed that he had been a strong leader who had tried everything he could to bring about agreement on the controversial issues, but that at this point, his time had come to an end; he can do no more. He pleaded that Bolivians' find a solution for the current conflict through dialogue, rather than protests. His resignation, however, is dependent on the Congress accepting his decree. As such, he assured the nation that his resignation does not create a power vacuum because he will continue to govern until there is Congressional approval. He reminded us all that he "was born in Bolivia, lives in Bolivia, and will continue to be in Bolivia" for the duration of this crisis. Far from marking an end to this battle, Mesa's resignation will only initiate a new chapter. Should Mesa's resignation be accepted, the right-wing President of the Senate Hormando Vaca Diez will assume power. This would further inflame the already enraged protesters that have been marching and shutting down the nation for the past two weeks.  However Santa Cruz and the Bolivian elite will do what they can to maintain the power that could be coming their way. And, clearly, Mesa's resignation does nothing to change the status of Bolivia's gas reserves, nor does it address the proposals of a Constitutional Assembly or a referendum on Autonomy. All it does is open up more questions.

It comes as no surprise that Mesa made his speech tonight. The volume and intensity of protest and police response today demonstrated that this lucha (struggle) was reaching a breaking point in which something needed to happen. Whether that was a military coup, a resignation from Mesa or the initiation of a military/civil government, we didn't know.  Now, we have the first concrete action taken by the governmetnt. What remains to be seen is what the people do in response... Stay tuned, (as my esteemed colleague Luis Gomez likes to say), kind readers. It's about to get interesting...