-Updated and Bumped-
You may have see politicians go at it before–
But, you’ve never seen a Congressional smackdown like this!
Bolivian politicians brawl in the Chamber of Deputies:
That- Was Crazy!
Do you suppose they got much done after that explosion on the floor?
Voice of America reported on the clashes in Congress:
Opposition lawmakers in the Bolivian Congress have exchanged blows with pro-government legislators in an ongoing dispute over control of the nation’s judicial branch.
Fistfights broke out Wednesday as opposition lawmakers tried to stop their rivals from bringing charges against the nation’s highest court for suspending four of President Evo Morales’s judicial appointees.
Lawmakers from Mr. Morales’s party later voted to approve the charges.
Separately, an Assembly rewriting Bolivia’s constitution has suspended its work indefinitely due to violent protests in the southern city of Sucre over a proposal to move the seat of government there from La Paz.
Continuing the country’s leftward shift into the arms of Venezuelan Marxist Hugo Chavez, Bolivian President Evo Morales announced a joint venture between the two country’s militaries this week.
Cuba News reported:
On Wednesday, Morales inaugurated in Trinidad, capital of the department of Beni – which was the most affected by the natural disasters earlier this year – the construction of a protection system against floods.
The Bolivian leader inaugurated a joint engineering command between the armed forces of Venezuela and Bolivia to recover roads and announced that similar projects for the construction of roads will multiply across the Andean nation.
The BBC has more on the brawl.
Mabblog is following the Bolivian situation.
Former Bolivian Congressman and acquaintance Jose Brechner says it is just a matter of time before civil war breaks out.
UPDATE: Former Bolivian Congressman Jose Brechner writes in with this on the political situation in Bolivia:
Dear Jim, I´ll try to give you a briefing.
The party in government wants to impose a totalitarian-racist-socialist constitution (National Socialism) approved by simple majority which is illegal, it should be by two thirds of the votes and without the opposition they can´t get it done.
The new constitution should have been ready in August 6, the Congress did nothing in one year and now they postponed it till December. With the violent events, the Constitutional Assembly closed its doors indefinitely under Morales orders. (Illegally of course)
The government illegally destitute (disqualified) four judges (out of five) of the Constitutional Tribunal. This was the cause of the physical fight we saw on TV. (Separation of powers, the judges are independent)
Six out of the nine provinces (states) that make Bolivia are against the government, and they will go on strike on Tuesday 28, for 24 hours, protesting for the measures against the judges, the illegality of the simple majority of votes, and the defense of democracy.
Bolivia has two capitals: Sucre is the original site, but lost a civil war with La Paz in 1898. They remained being the “historical” capital keeping the judiciary branch of the government, but the executive and legislative branches moved to La Paz. Sucre wants to be the full capital again. There are more than 500 people on hunger strike in Sucre (their city) since August 15 pledging for it. They are in “state of emergency”, surrounded by thousands of Indians sent by Morales to oppose changing the site of the capital.
The government with the indians is threatening to take the facto measures. They gave an ultimatum till next week to end the “capital” issue. They want it to remain in La Paz, where most aimara Indians (Morales ethnicity) live and they are powerful, (around two million). They also want to move the Constitutional Assembly from Sucre to La Paz, so they have full control of everything.
As I told you in Prague, and wrote about it long before Morales took office: “if he gets into power there will be a civil war”. This might be the beginning.
It is awesome how people don´t see the reality of what we are dealing with, and I don´t mean only Bolivia, the whole world is the same. Bolivians are just more uncivilized.
My translator has too much work at her office and she can´t work for me right now, that´s why I didn´t send you more articles. Hezbollah is converting people to Islam and training them with weapons in Venezuela. How do you like that?
