Daily Archives: October 26, 2020

2020-10-26: News Headlines

Max Blumenthal (2020-10-26). How Bolivia's new socialist senator resisted coup terror: Meet torture survivor Patricia Arce. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone traveled to rural Bolivia to meet Patricia Arce, a former mayor who was publicly tortured during a US-backed coup in November 2019, and is now a senator-elect from the indigenous-led Movement Toward Socialism party, which won in a historic landslide election on October 18. By Max Blumenthal Video and translation by Ben Norton Transcript MAX BLUMENTHAL: Just a few days after the dramatic landslide victory on October 18 of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party founded by Evo …

Max Blumenthal (2020-10-26). How Bolivia's new socialist senator resisted coup terror: Meet MAS party leader Patricia Arce. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone traveled to rural Bolivia to meet Patricia Arce, a former mayor who was publicly tortured during a US-backed coup in November 2019, and is now a senator-elect from the indigenous-led Movement Toward Socialism party, which won in a historic landslide election on October 18. By Max Blumenthal Video and translation by Ben Norton Puede leer esto en español aquí. Transcript MAX BLUMENTHAL: Just a few days after the dramatic landslide victory on October 18 of the Movement Toward …

Max Blumenthal (2020-10-26). Como la nueva senadora socialista de Bolivia resistió el terror del golpe de estado: Conozca a Patricia Arce. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone viajó al trópico de Cochabamba en Bolivia para entrevistar a Patricia Arce, la ex alcaldesa quien fue torturada durante un golpe de estado respaldado por EEUU en noviembre de 2019, y quien ahora es una senadora electa del partido Movimiento al Socialismo, que ganó las elecciones del 18 de octubre por goleada. Por Max Blumenthal Video y traducción por Benjamín Norton You can read this in English here. Transcripción MAX BLUMENTHAL: Unos días después del triunfo aplastante y …

Paul Dobson (2020-10-26). Venezuela: '100% Effective' Covid-19 Treatment Allegedly Discovered. venezuelanalysis.com The announcement came as Maduro unveiled a cabinet reshuffle and Venezuelans held an electoral dry run.

Alan Macleod (2020-10-26). In Stunning Display of Popular Will, Protests in Bolivia to Chile Force Public Reckoning of "Chicago Boy" Economics. mintpressnews.com Like in Bolivia, the strength of public opinion in Chile was so immense that the government, led by Chile's richest man Sebastian Piñera, immediately conceded.

Eds. (2020-10-26). What are Chileans voting for in Sunday's historic constitutional plebiscite. mronline.org Ahead of the Chilean national plebiscite, scheduled for October 25, we answer some of the key questions regarding the upcoming popular referendum.

Benjamin Dangl (2020-10-26). Ballots Defeat Bullets: MAS Wins Historic Mandate in Post-Coup Bolivian Election. counterpunch.org Against all odds, the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party won the October 18th elections in Bolivia with 55.1% of the vote. This is better than even Evo Morales did in 2005 with 53.75% support. It gives MAS President-elect Lucho Arce one of the biggest mandates in Bolivian history, and is in part a major endorsement of MAS policies and its 14 years in power.

Vijay Prashad (2020-10-26). Argentina's Veteran Ambassador Makes a Stand for the Sovereignty of Latin America. counterpunch.org Alicia Castro does not shy away from her views. She came to diplomacy from the trade union movement, where she was a leader when she was a flight attendant with Aerolíneas Argentinas. Castro spent eight years as a member of parliament in the Argentine National Congress, where she fought for the rights of working people.

Stephen Lendman (2020-10-26). Chileans Vote Up or Down for Constitutional Change. globalresearch.ca Since the CIA elevated Augusto Pinochet to power on an earlier 9/11 day of infamy in 1973 — replacing social democracy with tyrannical fascist rule — Pinochet's ghost still haunts most Chileans. | Billionaire Sebastian Pinera governs the country with an …

Telesur (2020-10-26). Time to Flee Bolivia? Jeanine àÅñez Asks U.S. for 350 Visas after Arce's Victory. globalresearch.ca With the victory of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) in the Bolivian elections on October 18, the de facto coup government presided over by Jeanine àÅñez, has requested visas from the United States for its officials according to a US-based …

Tanya Wadhwa (2020-10-26). Chileans approve drafting a new constitution. peoplesdispatch.org Chileans approved the drafting of a new constitution with an overwhelming majority in Regarding the type of body that must write the new constitution, the second question that was raised in the his…

Adeyinka Makinde (2020-10-26). 50 Years Ago: The Assassination of René Schneider, Chile's Constitutionalist General. globalresearch.ca The assassination of Chilean General René Schneider who died on October 25th 1970 from wounds sustained in an an attack three days earlier is worth recalling because of his stand in protecting the constitutional process in his country, as well …

Simon Davis-Cohen (2020-10-26). Chile, Bolivia, El Salvador Lead On Decolonial Constitutional Change. commondreams.org People gather to celebrate the victory of the referendum, in Santiago, Chile, on October 25, 2020 that will replace its 40-year-old constitution, written during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, in Santiago, Chile. (Photo by Felipe Vargas Figueroa/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/chile.jpg

_____ (2020-10-26). Chile: Approval For A New Constitution Wins Massive Mandate. popularresistance.org Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020 – Chileans today overwhelmingly approved, at the polls, the doing away of the Constitution drafted and approved under the military regime of Augusto Pinochet and gave the green light to the creation of a Constitutional Assembly. | According to official data by Chile's official electoral body, with 45.24% of the vote counted, 77.85% percent of the voters checked the Approval box, an overwhelming figure in contrast to the 22.15% percent who chose to legitimize the current Constitution, which was supported by a majority of right-wing parties.

_____ (2020-10-26). Learning The Lessons From Bolivia. popularresistance.org I want to pass on my congratulations to new President Luis Arce, to Evo Morales and to the whole Movement Towards Socialism (MAS). | And I would like to pay special tribute to the heroic struggle and resistance put up by the Bolivian people over the past year since the military-led coup. | These elections were won in the face of widespread repression. Since last year's coup and in the run-up to the elections there's been violence and intimidation including against the Movement Towards Socialism.

reenvia Red Latina sin fronteras (2020-10-26). Chile: Ana Tijoux, una voz en la revuelta. indybay.org Ana Tijoux, una voz en la revuelta chilena. Su música y sus letras son banda de sonido de la calle en rebeldà¨a.

Ariel Dorfman (2020-10-26). A New Constitution: What the United States Can Learn From Chile. thenation.com A New Constitution: What the United States Can Learn From Chile…

Robert F. Kennedy Jr (2020-10-26). Video: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: International Message for Freedom and Hope. globalresearch.ca Today, October 24, 2020, there are many rallies around the world. Activists in these countries are joining in a common voice: Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay, Italy, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, France, and Austria. | Citizens of …

Ben Dangl (2020-10-26). Ballots defeated bullets, now what's next in Bolivia? zcomm.org The MAS has overcome incredible challenges this year. Now they will have to navigate the disastrous pandemic, rising fascism and an economic downturn…

Bryce Greene (2020-10-25). After Socialist Victory in Bolivia, Media Still Whitewash Coup. commondreams.org Bolivia's leftist presidential candidate Luis Arce of the Movement for Socialism party celebrates with running mate David Choquehuanca early on October 19, 2020 in La Paz, Bolivia. (Photo: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/bolivia_democracy_arce.jpg

Ricardo Vaz (2020-10-25). [UPDATED] Venezuelan Hard Right Opposition Leader Leopoldo Lopez Flees to Spain. venezuelanalysis.com Lopez had been in the Spanish Ambassador's residence after escaping house arrest.

Ricardo Vaz (2020-10-25). Venezuelan Hard Right Opposition Leader Leopoldo Lopez Flees to Spain. venezuelanalysis.com Lopez had been in the Spanish Ambassador's residence after escaping house arrest.

teleSUR, CE (2020-10-25). MAS Social Bases Celebrate in Evo's Home Region. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's social movements are carrying celebrations all through the weekend, as the country looks forward to the swearing in of President-elect Luis Arce. | RELATED: | A largely young crowd gathered in the town of Eterazama on Sunday, located in the Chapare region, also known as the Tropico of Cochabamba, where Evo Morales first became a union leader. | The highly influential Senators-elect for the department of Cochaba…

teleSUR (2020-10-25). Chile Holds Plebiscite on Rewriting Pinochet-Era Constitution. telesurenglish.net One year after the social outburst in Chile, the people this Sunday go to the polls to decide whether to change the Constitution and under what institutional modality this process would take place. | RELATED: | The national plebiscite took place because of the broad social protests, which suffered police brutality, with the death toll rising to hundreds of wounded and arrested. | One of the main tools for sustaining the p…

teleSUR (2020-10-25). Venezuela: Leopoldo Lopez Leaves Spanish Embassy in Caracas. telesurenglish.net Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez Saturday left the Spanish Embassy in Caracas were he remained as a guest since April 30th last year. | RELATED: | The right-wing's representative could not apply for political asylum status from Venezuela before, since that request must be made only within Spanish territory. | Since the Venezuelan opponent could not apply for asylum, he was in the condition of a guest, a figure…

teleSUR (2020-10-25). Bolivia: Over 50% of Elected Lawmakers Are Women. telesurenglish.net After the general elections held in Bolivia last October 18, which was won by the Movement to Socialism (MAS), there is a strong female presence in both the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate. | RELATED: | The MAS achieved a majority in the Senate with 21 seats, of which 10 are occupied by women. | The Citizens' Community won 11 seats, seven of them for women, while We Believe won four, two of them for wome…

teleSUR (2020-10-25). Chile's Plebiscite 2020: Polls Have Now Closed. telesurenglish.net Results are expected shortly and Chileans will decide if they want a new constitution and the form in which they will redact it.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-25). Calls intensify for resignation of OAS secretary general Luis Almagro. peoplesdispatch.org Progressive movements across Latin America have called for the resignation of OAS secretary general Luis Almagro, pointing to his role in the coup in Bolivia in 2019 and in destabilizing democracy in the country…

teleSUR (2020-10-25). Venezuela Launches National Voting Simulation. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's national voting simulation Sunday started at 8h00 local time, with the application of all biosecurity measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic ahead of the parliamentary elections of next December 6. | RELATED: | The trial will take place this Sunday from 8h00 to 15h00 local time, for which the National Electoral Council has set up 381 polling stations throughout the country. | Today, all the technical elements of the Auto…

teleSUR (2020-10-25). Chile Plebiscite: Police Repression Prior to Polls Closing. telesurenglish.net Various social organizations denounced this Sunday repression by Carabineros (Chilean Police) against protesters who gathered in the Plaza de la Dignidad, located in Santiago de Chile, minutes after the polls closed for the constitutional plebiscite. | Although the day was developing peacefully, a group of police attacked the citizens with water and tear gas jets, preventing the people's gathering temporarily. Ultimately the police retreated, and people have taken over the square. | According to witnesses, the place is surrounded by police officers. Likewise, alternative media journalists also denounced attack…

_____ (2020-10-25). Protests Against Greed And Inequality Are Spreading Like Wildfire Through Latin America. popularresistance.org With attention fixed on this week's events in Bolivia, you would be excused for not realizing that much of the rest of the region has for weeks also been ablaze in the flames of protest. | In Costa Rica, the neoliberal coalition government of Carlos Alverado attempted to force through a $1.75 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to deal with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. As has been its modus operandi this year, the organization offered the money attached to a host of free-market changes, including tax changes, cuts to public services, and privatization of state-owned assets, s…

Al Carroll (2020-10-25). Trump's Body Count: Could Be Over a Million. indybay.org The combined death toll from all of Trump's many crimes is not "just" the over 222,000 COVID deaths. It includes at least 40,000 Venezuelans, Syrian Christian and Yazidi refugees, Karen Christians, Rohingya, refugees from Latin America, Afghans, Iraqis, Somalis, Yemenis, and tens of thousands of Americans who died by Trump sabotaging their healthcare.

sputniknews (2020-10-25). Bolivian President Demands OAS Chief Resign Over His Part in 2019 Coup. sputniknews.com Despite formerly serving as foreign minister of his native Uruguay under president José Mujica, Luis Almagro has led the charge against governments in Latin America Since assuming leadership of the OAS in 2015.

Democracia Abierta (2020-10-25). The Chilean referendum: getting rid of the shadow of Pinochet's dictatorship. zcomm.org Twelve months after the violent protests broke out, the Chilean people are preparing for an unprecedented process: voting to decide whether to begin drafting a new Constitution, which should be more socially equitable and economically inclusive…

Fight Back (2020-10-24). Commentary on Bolivia: How a coup failed. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – On November 10, 2019, a hastily-assembled coalition of generals, middle class liberals and fascist paramilitaries overthrew the democratic government of Evo Morales in Bolivia. Coming on the heels of a coup attempt in Venezuela and the vicious repression of a people's uprising in Chile, it seemed to many that the continental struggle against U.S. imperialism had reached a tipping point in the empire's favor. | Today, not even a year later, the official results for Bolivia's presidential elections were announced. Evo's comrade and successor Luis "Lucho" Arce received a resounding 55% of the vote…

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-24). Rouhani felicitates Bolivian counterpart on election win. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 24 (MNA) — Congratulating the new Bolivian President on his election, President Rouhani expressed Iran's readiness to revive bilateral relations and expand cooperation with the Bolivian government in all fields.

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Maduro Asks National Assembly to Consider Same-Sex Marriage. telesurenglish.net Regarding the support given by Pope Francis to civil unions between same-sex couples in the documentary "Francesco," released this Wednesday at the Rome Film Festival, the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, entrusted the next National Assembly (NA), which will be elected on December 6, with the discussion of the issue of equal marriage. | RELATED: | The Head of State said during a meeting…

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-10-23). Protests Against President Iván Duque Increase in Colombia. globalresearch.ca In Colombia, popular dissatisfaction with President Iván Duque's policies is growing day after day. Popular protests started late last year and peaked between September and October this year. During this period, the number of claims increased significantly, mainly due …

Jake Johnston (2020-10-23). Data from Bolivia's Election Add More Evidence That OAS Fabricated Last Year's Fraud Claims. counterpunch.org The MAS Received More Votes in Almost All of the OAS's 86 Suspect Precincts in 2020 than in 2019 On Sunday, October 20, Bolivians went to the polls and overwhelmingly elected Luis Arce of the MAS party president. Private quick counts released the night of the vote showed Arce receiving more than 50 percent of

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Bolivia's TSE Declares Luis Arce the Elected President. telesurenglish.net Bolivia's Electoral Supreme Court (TSE) declared Luis Arce, the elected president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia and David Choquehuanca as vice-president on Friday after the official vote counting showed that Arce's party, the Movement Towards Socialism, reached a landslide victory of 55.10 percent of the votes. | RELATED: | About 6.483.893 Bolivians out of the 7.332.926 registered went to the polls, re…

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Bolivia Reaches 100% of Vote Count, MAS Reinforces Its Victory. telesurenglish.net The Bolivian Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) on Friday reached 100 percent of the electoral count, which ratified the victory of Luis Arce's Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) with over 55 percent of the votes in favor. | RELATED: | The MAS got a distance of over 26 points against the right-wing Citizen Community Party (CC), presided by Carlos Mesa. CC accumulated 29 percent of the votes. | W Believe Party, Luis Cam…

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Chile: 'Approve' Supporters Close Campaign With Massive Flag-Waving. telesurenglish.net A flag-waving of the 'Approval' supporters in the plebiscite that will take place next Sunday was held in front of La Moneda Palace, headquarters of Chile's government. | RELATED: | Over 1,000 people and leaders of all the opposition parties took to the streets to demand that a new constitution be written to replace the one made during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990). | "After months of police repression…

Matt Sedlar (2020-10-23). Mexico at the OAS General Assembly: Almagro undermined the OAS Charter and Damaged Bolivia's Democracy. cepr.net This week in Washington, D.C. the Organization of American States (OAS) held their 50th Regular Session of the General Assembly. In these meetings the General Assembly, the highest decision-making body of the OAS, is tasked with debating the organization's course of action for the next year, as well as setting the standards of governance for …

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Ecuador: Police Crack Down On Peaceful Protest in Quito. telesurenglish.net Ecuador's National Police officials Thursday dispersed with tear gas a demonstration called by the Workers' United Front (FUT) to protests against the economic situation and President Lenin Moreno's mismanagement of the crisis. | RELATED: | Dozens of police officers on motorcycles stormed into the crowd and dispersed hundreds of demonstrators while a helicopter flew over the area. | Amid the disturbances, the mobilized…

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Ex-FARC Members March Over Selective Killings Against Them. telesurenglish.net Hundreds of former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas marched from the municipality of Mesetas, in Meta Department, to protest against the targeted killing of 234 of their fellow FARC party members since the signing of the Peace Agreement. | RELATED: | The march for "Life and Peace" was organized by members of the Revolutionary Alternative Forces of the Commons (FARC), which became a legal political party after their dem…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-23). It's official: Movement Towards Socialism wins landslide victory in Bolivia. peoplesdispatch.org With 100% of the votes counted, the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) presidential ticket of Luis Arce and David Choquehuanca has won 55.1% of the votes, with a lead of 26.27% over their nearest rival Carlos Mesa…

teleSUR (2020-10-23). Chile: A Plebiscite and a Promise. telesurenglish.net For Chilean people, October 25th could mark a political pivotal turn, and start the path for a new political landscape of cooperation and popular power. It is a long time promise to be finally accomplished. | RELATED: | 32 years between plebiscites | October and a historic vote. That is what Chile experienced in 1988 and that this 2020 is ready to repeat. Although 32 years separate these votes, both are intimately lin…

_____ (2020-10-23). Movement Towards Socialism Wins Landslide Victory In Bolivia. popularresistance.org After 11 months of being ruled by a repressive coup-regime, Bolivians have finally recovered democracy. After five days of counting, the official results of the Bolivian presidential elections are finally in. The Movement Towards Socialism's (MAS) presidential ticket with Luis Arce and David Choquehuanca won 55.1% of the vote share while Carlos Mesa's Citizen Community party won just 28.83% of the vote share. The MAS also won the parliamentary elections, bagging 73 out of the 130 seats in the lower house of parliament and 21 of the 36 seats in the Senate.

_____ (2020-10-23). A New Revolutionary Alternative For The People Of Venezuela. popularresistance.org For many on the left in Britain and within the heart of the global capitalist system, Venezuela has been an example of staunch opposition to US and Nato imperialism, with a broad collection of revolutionaries fending off multiple coups, mercenary attacks and resisting an imperialist blockade of late. | This vision of defiance and tenacity has painted a very particular idea of what the experience is in Venezuela, which ultimately makes the formation of the Popular Revolutionary Alternative (APR), a new bloc of left wing groups without the ruling PSUV, quite a remarkable surprise.

sputniknews (2020-10-23). Shh We're Debating!; MAS Fights for Peace in Bolivia; Nigeria on Fire. sputniknews.com Biden, Trump hold final, quieter debate; Nigerian civil unrests leaves 50+ dead; Will Sanders serve as Labor Secretary in Biden's cabinet?