Movement for Socialism (Bolivia)

Infobox Political_party
name_english = Movement for Socialism
name_native = Movimiento al Socialismo "MAS"
leader = Evo Morales
president =
chairperson =
spokesperson =
leader1_name =
leader2_name =
leader3_name =
foundation = July 23, 1997
dissolution =
headquarters = La Paz, Bolivia
newspaper =
youth_wing =
membership_year=
membership = Sāo Paulo Forum
ideology = Left-wing, Socialism

The Movement for Socialism ("Movimiento al Socialismo", MAS), alternately referred to as "Movement Toward Socialism" or "Movement to Socialism", is a Left-wing, Socialist, Bolivian political party led by Evo Morales, founded in 1997. At the 2002 general election, the party came in second place with 19.4% of the valid presidential vote and 14.6% of the valid uninominal vote, which gave it 27 out of 130 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and eight out of 27 seats in the Senate. This was a surprising upset for Bolivia's traditional parties. Morales credited U.S. ambassador Manuel Rocha for the success of MAS: "Every statement [Rocha] made against us helped us to grow and awaken the conscience of the people."

MAS evolved out of the movement to defend the interests of coca growers. Evo Morales has articulated the goals of his party and popular organizations as the need to achieve national unity, and to develop a new hydrocarbon law which guarantees 50 percent of revenue to Bolivia, although political leaders of MAS recently interviewed showed interest in complete nationalization of the gas and oil industries.

Currently, the MAS stands as a party committed to equality, indigenous rights, agrarian land reform, Constitutional reform as well as nationalization of key industries with an aim to redistribute the returns through increased social spending. Among the poor, rural and indigenous population the MAS enjoys nearly unanimous support.

In the 2005 general election, Evo Morales was again the party's presidential candidate. He won a clear majority with 53.7% of the valid presidential vote and 43.5% of the valid uninominal vote, which gave it 72 out of 130 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 12 out of 27 seats in the Senate. In the 2005 prefect elections, MAS campaigned for all nine departmental prefectures (governorships), but only won three: Chuquisaca (43%), Oruro (41.0%), and Potosí (42.7%).

Following a recall referendum in August 2008, convoked by the Right-wing opposition, Morales and MAS took an even larger share of the vote (over 67%) deepening his mandate for social change. While the 53.7% victory that Morales claimed in 2005 was already a rare absolute majority in Bolivian presidential elections, his most recent victory represents an almost unprecedented level of support in the history of Bolivian democracy. Despite claims by political analysts and pundits that Morales's radical leanings would "frighten away middle-class voters", MAS made substantial gains in urban centers, even within the strongholds of Rightist opposition such as Santa Cruz (where MAS took roughly 40% of the vote) and Chuquisaca (where 49.6% supported Morales). Vehement opponent of the government, Manfred Reyes Villa of Cochabamba, was recalled by voters, as was Jose Luis Paredes, the prefect (governor) of La Paz, who was a comparably moderate opponent of MAS and the Morales government. Reyes Villa attempted to stay on, despite being ejected by the local electorate, and refuse to recognize the result. However, he eventually resigned in a matter of days.

External links

*http://www.masbolivia.org/ (Spanish)