Word: bolivia
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Some countries just have no luck with democracy. One of them is Bolivia, a landlocked Andean nation that has somehow managed to survive 188 coups in its 154 years of independence. Five months ago, ending a decade of military rule, Bolivia held presidential elections that alas produced no clear-cut results. Congress then selected Walter Guevara Arze to serve as interim President until another vote could be held next May. Last month Colonel Alberto Natusch Busch, a former commander of the military training school, ousted Guevara in a coup. But Natusch decided to vacate the presidential palace-literally through...
...gravest threat to Gueiler's administration arises, as it usually does in Bolivia, from the armed forces. Three days after she was presented with the red, gold and green ceremonial sash of the presidency, Gueiler was handed a blunt de mand by a coalition of young pro-democratic army officers. Its substance: that she oust all of the high military officials appointed by Natusch, including General Luis Garcia Meza, a right-wing officer who had been named commander of the army. Gueiler was happy to oblige; she selected General Rene Villaroel, a moderate officer, for Garcia Meza...
Gueiler-or whoever will be running the country in the months ahead-faces some hard, unpopular decisions. In essence, Bolivia is broke. A representative of the International Monetary Fund has recommended a devaluation of the Bolivian peso, which is artificially pegged at 20 to the dollar, to help solve a complex of economic problems ranging from severe inflation to a foreign debt of $3 billion. Natusch, unrealistically, had promised to attack these economic woes by raising workers' salaries "without provoking inflation and without devaluing the currency...
...labor leaders, the new President must also develop a strategy for curbing the army's insatiable tendency to intervene in governmental affairs. She also faces potential opposition from disenchanted civilian politicians. Gueiler has no illusions about the difficulty of her task. Asked if she had a remedy for Bolivia's chronic political instability, Gueiler replied: "That is a question that I sincerely wish I had an answer...
...Those who staged the military coup are in power in the government. If it lasts, we have hope for an election in May, for a new President and for a new Congress. But it is difficult to say what will happen next in Bolivia; anything can happen." Guevara said