Legislators of the Movement to Socialism in Bolivia modify regulations

Credit: LUIS GANDARILLAS / AFP via Getty Images

(CNN Spanish) -

Like the Bolivian Chamber of Senators, the Chamber of Deputies modified several articles of the internal regulations on Wednesday that required two-thirds of the votes.

The decision of the legislators of the Movement to Socialism (MAS), who had two thirds to define it in the current legislature, occurred one day before the end of their activities and hours after the new legislators received their credentials from the Supreme Electoral Tribunal , which enable them in their new positions.

With the changes implemented, the Legislative Assembly will be able to approve with the simple majority that the Movement for Socialism will have in the new legislature, matters such as the promotion of the military and police, the appointment of ambassadors and also the formation of special investigation commissions in different themes.

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What is maintained, because it is supported by the Political Constitution of the State, is the requirement of two thirds of the votes of the Legislative Power for the appointment of the attorney general, the ombudsman, the comptroller general and the members of the Supreme Court Electoral.

The Movement for Socialism won the general elections on October 18 with 55% of the votes, but the support at the polls was not enough to reach two-thirds of the seats in the Chambers of Deputies and Senators, which would allow it control the Legislative Power, as has already happened in the last two legislatures.

The president-elect of Bolivia, Luis Arce, said in a MAS press release that the modification of the ten articles is legal.

“The information we have is that, clearly, what the Assembly has done is to maintain all legality.

There are many laws that are going to be approved with two thirds that is established by the regulations, so there should be no concern ”.

Carlos Mesa, leader of Comunidad Ciudadana and former presidential candidate, described the legislative changes as an unacceptable and illegitimate move.

«The MAS changes the regulation of Senators and Deputies eliminating the requirement of two thirds for approval of fundamental decisions in the ALP.

Authoritarianism, abuse and subjugation of the Legislative Assembly continue, ”he wrote on his Twitter account.

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In statements to the local media, Mesa warned this Wednesday that if the MAS does not back down with the measure, he and the Citizen Community bench will not attend the presidential command transmission.

"At the moment in which the possession of Mr. President Luis Arce is taking place, we will be signing a constitutional demand for this arbitrariness to be reversed," the former presidential candidate warned.

The interim president of Bolivia, Jeanine Áñez, also expressed her dissatisfaction with the change in regulation.

On his Twitter account he posted: “Democracy answers the question 'who's boss'.

The answer is 'the majority rule'.

La Libertad answers the question 'to what extent does this majority rule'.

The answer is 'up to the law'.

That is why changing laws to command more is against freedom ”.

The governor of Santa Cruz, Rubén Costas, affirmed that the modification of the regulations in both chambers "reaffirms the anti-democratic conduct of the MAS and the misunderstanding of what citizens have said at the polls."

For his part, José Miguel Vivanco, executive director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch (HRW), also criticized the change in the two-thirds law as “a bad precedent” for the MAS.

Movement to Socialism