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(CNN Spanish) - Young Bolivians look forward to Sunday's presidential elections. It is expected that on that day about half a million young people between the ages of 18 and 26 will vote, of a register of 7 million qualified voters in the country. This is a segment whose vote will have a significant impact on the elections, according to experts.
CNN spoke with some of them, all students of the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA), in La Paz.
We found Luis Ángel Sonco in the atrium of the UMSA and he told us that he is worried about education, "because a country without education is nothing."
In the same group is Greece Soria, who explains that with his profession he hopes “to have a good job, but not for a color or political party, but for his achievements”. For his part, Antonio Casas asks the candidates a question: "How are they going to invest in young people to motivate them to continue studying?"
READ: Elections in Bolivia: what you should know
Álvaro Flores wonders about his economic future: “We are now at the University. Then, leaving here we have no sources of employment, that worries young people. ”
In the corridors of the UMSA we also find Daniela Cuevas, which coincides with Álvaro. "We leave university, we don't have a job to go to" she tells us visibly worried.
According to data from the National Statistics Institute, the 2018 youth unemployment rate was 8.5%. In general, the unemployment rate for 20% of the economically active population that has a job in Bolivia is 4%. The problem here is that 80% - the majority of the population - is in the informal sector
Luis Arce, Minister of Finance of Bolivia, told CNN that despite the international crisis that has caused a slowdown in the global and regional economy, "Bolivia will continue to be the fastest growing economy in the region" and that, at its trial, the best comes for the country, because everything that has been worked in these years will give way to generate a diversified economy. ”
Minister Arce adds that young people are not very informed about the projects implemented by the government of President Evo Morales because the media, he says, does not inform him. "Of course the government's economic policies have targeted youth," says Arce and mentions programs such as My first job. "There are programs to introduce young people to private sector work sources where one of the fundamental elements is that they have no experience and knowledge." Other projects include support for entrepreneurs and popular housing for young people.
The reports of the International Monetary Fund reflect the sustained growth of Bolivia in recent years and a significant decline in indicators of extreme poverty from 38% in 2005 to 15.2% in 2018.
However, for the economic analyst Gonzalo Chávez, “Bolivia is a country that economically, despite the boom it has had in the last 12 years, has not been able to diversify its economy and remains very vulnerable to gas prices , oil, minerals, soybeans because we have not made any productive diversification ”.
In the UMSA gardens we find Carlos Apaza, who says it is very important that the Bolivian economy has achieved sustained stability in these years, while Noelia says he did not feel it and reaffirms, “there is a lot of lack of opportunities for young people” .
Others, such as Israel Mendoza, who will vote for the first time on Sunday, tell us that he will fulfill his democratic duty, with hope.
"I hope that better days come for all the people who are the future of this country."
Bolivia Vote 2019 Unemployment Youth
