Presidential elections are only two and a half months away here, but an outsider would hardly notice at all. In fact, if you don't listen to the talk radio stations you probably wouldn't know what was about to happen here on December 6.
This past January, the Bolivian people voted to ratify a new constitution, so immediately after instituting it general elections were called in order to basically push restart so everything could start fresh under the new law. I was surprised that no one really blinked about it though. Only 9 months until elections! Quick, start up the campaigns! But nothing. In fact, two weeks ago, on Monday at midnight, was the deadline for parties to turn in their candidates. Six of the eight official candidates turned in their candidacy in the last hour before the deadline! These Bolivians are even more Bolivian than I ever expected.
This will be my second presidential election (I also witnessed Peru '06) but I don't think I'll ever figure out politics down here. They seem to be even more political (and corrupt) than our country. And much stranger. Really I think Bolivians suffer from some sort of mass amnesia or something. Get this: the only opposition party that has any chance of getting close to Evo in this election is made up of two corrupt politicians who were kicked out of office only last year! The presidential running mate was the governor of the state of Cochabamba who was kicked out of office in August '08 for corruption and his running mate was the governor of the state of Pando who is currently in prison for massacring a group of indigenous farmers in his region who were protesting the racial violence that his government was not doing anything to stop. I really can't believe it! And those people call Evo a corrupt murdering fiend! Ha. It really blows my mind the completely evil motives behind the opposition candidates and it blows my mind even more how 1/3 of the country support them over a government that for the first time is actually trying to help change their country for the better.
But I guess some people don't see it as for their own good. That's thie interesting part-- to see what people who are comfortable with their power and riches will do when those things suddenly are not so secure. The real violence of their racism and power and wealth manifests itself. (Huh, kinda reminds me of what our country does to other little countries that defy us.)
In the meantime we'll just stay low, try not to look like CIA agents trying to disrupt another democratic election, and just see what happens.