Prensa Latina News Agency - Opposition Prepares Accusation of Fraud if Yes Vote Wins in Bolivia

15 de febrero de 2016, 13:24Por Pedro Rioseco

La Paz, Feb 15 (Prensa Latina) Bolivian President Evo Morales denounced the preparations by the opposition to declare as fraud the results of the referendum scheduled for February 21 in light of the victory of the Yes vote in favor of the presidential duo to run for office again in 2019.

We will win this voting, said Morales in a TV interview on Sunday night, when he recalled that the referendum is not his initiative or that of Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, but it came from the social and workers' movements to continue the process of change.

He pointed out that behind the opposition journalist Carlos Valverde, who accused him of alleged traffic of influences for favoring hiring an ex partner in the Chinese company CAMC, there is an open conspiracy by the United States.

That conspiracy and the campaign of slanders and lies are aimed against Bolivia's democratic process, noted the president, adding that there is evidence that on December 11, Valverde met with three US diplomats in Santa Cruz.

Morales underlined his agreement with the articles published by the Argentine political analyst Atilio BorĂ³n in Mexico, where he denounced personages from the previous governments who are fugitives of justice and are leading the No campaign and the opposition's actions from the United States.

What the previous government did not do in 180 years, we have done it in ten years, the president noted, and with the triumph of Yes we will have the task of complying with the Patriotic Agenda with a minimum investment until 2020 of 45 billion dollars for the benefit of the people.

In the case of corruption in the Indigenous Fund, Morales made it clear that as soon as the government was informed about anomalies by the Comptroller's Office, it decided to intervene, take 29 officials to justice and investigate more than 400.

Let us let justice decide on their culpability, underlined Morales, who repeated that it was his government that proposed to eliminate immunity for congress people and all leaders who must respond for their actions before justice.

On the accusation of traffic of influences,we have decided that the Comptroller's Office will investigate whoever is involved, he said, noting that in 2007 he ordered to lift the bank secrecy on any accounts held by the president, the vice president or any government leader.

We have requested the creation of a legislative committee to investigate the traffic of influences, whoever it involves, and if the right wing wants the financial investigation unit to investigate too, we have no inconvenience, because we have nothing to hide, Morales stressed.

When the Chinese company CAMC did not comply with the terms agreed upon to build a segment of the railroad, long before the accusation by the opposition, a guarantee order was put in place but the company filed an appeal and won the lawsuit temporarily, the president said.

Since there is a lawsuit by the government, that company cannot win any tender in Bolivia, noted Morales, who added that the pro-imperialist neoliberals who promote the No vote lack an ideological program to propose.

What they want is a return to the neoliberal past in the 2019 elections, remove the social benefits from the workers, privatize the companies nationalized by this government and end the process of change in Bolivia, he added.

The social movements and our honest professionals have make Bolivia progress, he said. We will continue working to eradicate poverty, with dignity, and we are certain that as always, we will not abandon the people. On this occasion, the people will not abandon us either.

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