Red Flag Bolivia: EDITORIAL - BOLIVIA: NEITHER RENEWAL NOR TRANSITION, THE OLD STATE IS RECYCLED WITH NEW EXECUTIONERS

 

 

Bandera Roja Bolivia

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Red Flag Bolivia 

 

· EDITORIAL - BOLIVIA: NEITHER RENEWAL NOR TRANSITION, THE OLD STATE IS RECYCLED WITH NEW EXECUTIONERS 

 

BR |  November 2, 2025 

 

The results of the latest electoral circus represent neither “renewal” nor “democratic transition.” On the contrary, we are witnessing a conservative restoration in which the entrenched, comprador bourgeoisie is regaining control of the old state. The recent runoff election, contested between two right-wing candidates—the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) and the Free Alliance—highlighted the exhaustion of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) as a hegemonic electoral force after almost 20 years, as well as the growing sense of repudiation and disenchantment among the people toward the current political system. This rejection was reflected in the high abstention rate. 

 

Rodrigo Paz and Edman Lara, of the PDC, are trying to present themselves as figures of renewal, yet even before assuming the presidency, they have thrown themselves into the arms of U.S. imperialism, begging the IMF for dollars and the return of the DEA. At the same time, they have forged alliances with their former rivals, led by Tuto Quiroga and Samuel Doria Medina, who have expressed their support for the new regime and will have an active role in the next government—that is, they will have their share of power, their piece of the pie. This is the reactionary pact to plunder Bolivia, blessed by Trump. 

 

 Ultimately, there is no substantial difference between the supporters of Paz and Tuto. While the Tuto faction intends to implement a policy of harsh neoliberal shock therapy, the PDC proposes gradual adjustment. Both respond to the same class objectives and interests: to repress and demoralize the people, save Bolivian bureaucratic capitalism from disaster, and deepen the subjugation of our country to imperialism, sidelining the Russians and Chinese from this role in order to tip the scales in favor of the Americans. 

 

And who are these supposed reformers? Rodrigo Paz, a perennial political opportunist with accusations of corruption during his tenure as mayor of Tarija, comes from the MIR, a family clan with social-democratic roots that was complicit in the neoliberal policies of the 1980s and 90s, as well as in the repression of the people during those decades. Edman Lara, whom some present as the "popular" component of the new regime, is a former police officer and TikToker who built his public image by exposing the rot within the very reactionary institution he once belonged to. His role is more symbolic and decorative than effective, but it clearly expresses the regime's policy of legitimizing the hardline rhetoric. His populist and moralistic profile serves as a facade for a project tending towards greater authoritarianism.

Paz y Lara's victory was made possible by the disintegration of the MAS, divided into warring factions (Evo Morales supporters, Arcistas, Androniquistas, and Castillistas) that, in their eagerness to retain power, ended up surreptitiously supporting the PDC. Evo Morales acknowledged that the "Evo vote" tipped the scales in favor of the PDC, a confession that perfectly portrays him, not only as an individual, but also the entire opportunistic and demagogic false left, accustomed to betraying popular struggles. In this context, the union leadership aligned with the MAS, pampered and corrupted, enriched after years of parasitizing popular struggles, is now indignant at having been excluded from the upcoming ministerial distribution. Their discontent stems not from principles, but from the loss of privileges, and reveals the opportunism that defined Bolivian progressivism. It is the corrupt, patronage-based union crust that, as Engels warned, must be swept away like a colossal pile of garbage so that the people's struggles can advance. 

 

Meanwhile, the masses face a critical economic situation: fuel shortages, inflation, unemployment, a rising cost of living, and growing social discontent. The new administration promises to stabilize the economy, but in reality, it is paving the way for a new cycle of structural adjustment amidst the most brutal repression. In this climate, racist and fascist rhetoric resurfaces, fueled by sectors of the upper bourgeoisie seeking to drag along impoverished middle classes and a depoliticized youth, molded by the media and social networks. But this youth will soon recognize who their true enemies are and who their true friends are.

 

  The prospect that is opening up is one of intensifying class struggle. From our perspective, this outlook is brilliant. The ongoing rise of the masses is part of a revolutionary situation unfolding unevenly on a global scale. This new panorama will allow us to unmask both right-wing opportunists and those of the false left, and to forge new generations of committed revolutionary fighters. The prospect is brilliant; it is up to us revolutionaries to organize, fight, and resist. 

 

It is clear that there is no room for electoral illusions or pacts with the oppressors of the people. The pending task is the construction of an independent organization, born from the deepest and most profound core of our people. Only it can recover the horizon of emancipation that the elites, both right-wing and so-called "left-wing," have been determined to bury. The historical task is clear: to reconstitute the proletarian vanguard, to rearm its class consciousness with the just and correct ideology, thus paving the way for a true revolutionary undertaking that will uproot the system of oppression and exploitation. 

 

Red Flag Newspaper – Bolivia November 2025.