Evan Abramson

A Country Divided

Bolivian Referendum Highlights Clashing Visions

On August 10, 2008 Bolivia’s President Evo Morales won a landslide victory in a national referendum vote on whether or not he should stay in office, earning a whopping 64%. But in the days and weeks leading up to the vote, the stark differences that still continue to divide the country were perhaps the most apparent, as bands of pro- and anti- Morales groups campaigned around the country, and violence erupted on several occasions.

   
  
     
  
   
  
     
  
   
  
     
  
   
  
     
  
Although some recent polls suggest that overall support for Evo Morales has risen since his 2005 election, the growing regional divisions of Bolivia have caused a lot of distress for Morales's administration.