The opposition to the Bolivian Government has presented this Wednesday in the Bolivian Parliament a bill for the National Population Census to take place in October 2023 and to exclude the possibility of it being held beyond that date.
Specifically, the leftist coalition of Comunidad Ciudadana (CC) and its leader, former Bolivian president Carlos Mesa, have stressed «the need to respond» to the protests carried out in Santa Cruz and other regions of the country that demand that the Census be held, at the latest, next year, as reported by ‘Página Siete’.
«The purpose of the present law is to establish Wednesday, October 25, 2023 as the date for the next National Census,» states the only article of the bill that will be presented this Thursday in the Bolivian Chamber of Deputies.
The former president said that it is urgent to respond to the demand of Santa Cruz and other regions of the country that demand that the census be carried out next year.
Mesa has criticized the implementation of a technical round table promoted by the Executive, which aims to determine the date of the Census. «The space for this is not dilatory meetings or biased cabinets, but the Legislative Assembly. CC presents a bill to give certainty to the country», said the former president in a message on Twitter.
The so-called «civic movement» of Bolivia started last October 22 an indefinite national strike to demand the celebration of the Census in 2023, instead of 2024 as proposed by the Bolivian government, since this registry conditions the distribution of aid among the regions of the country.
The protests are concentrated in the city of Santa Cruz, where the opposition to the Bolivian President, Luis Arce, has more weight, besides being the economic engine of the country. One person has lost his life during the protests.
As a result, the current president of Bolivia decided to convene a technical committee made up of representatives of international organizations and indigenous communities, among others, to find a date for holding a census of the Bolivian population.
However, Arce has denounced that the issue of the Census, which has originated the protests in Santa Cruz, is being used to destabilize the Government and overthrow it.
«This political view of the census issue, unfortunately generated a political approach, since it was not only used as an instrument to destabilize the Government, but also seeks to overthrow it», warned the President, according to statements reported by ABI.
