Bolivia's “Democracy in Transition”: More Questions than Answers in 2016

ABSTRACT On 21 February 2016, an absolute majority of Bolivian voters (51.3%) voted against a constitutional revision that would clear the way for President Morales to assume a fourth term in office. Evaluating the municipal level change in pro-MAS vote share over previous elections, I find that the pro-government vote share declined most dramatically in traditional MAS electoral strongholds, particularly those with high concentrations of mine workers or indigenous voters. This, along with numerous other challenges to the MAS institutional hegemony, begs larger questions about the future of the MAS as a political coalition, and about Bolivia's “democracy in transition.”

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Driscoll,Amanda
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Instituto de Ciencia Política 2017
Online Access:http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-090X2017000200255
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Summary:ABSTRACT On 21 February 2016, an absolute majority of Bolivian voters (51.3%) voted against a constitutional revision that would clear the way for President Morales to assume a fourth term in office. Evaluating the municipal level change in pro-MAS vote share over previous elections, I find that the pro-government vote share declined most dramatically in traditional MAS electoral strongholds, particularly those with high concentrations of mine workers or indigenous voters. This, along with numerous other challenges to the MAS institutional hegemony, begs larger questions about the future of the MAS as a political coalition, and about Bolivia's “democracy in transition.”