Social Democratic Movement Explained

Social Democratic Movement
Native Name:Movimiento Demócrata Social
Leader1 Title:President
Leader1 Name:Ruben Costas Aguilera
Predecessor:Popular Consensus
Headquarters:Cochabamba
Ideology:Liberal conservatism
Federalism
Regionalism[1]
Position:Right-wing[2] [3] to far-right[4] [5] [6]
International:International Democracy Union[7]
Affiliation1 Title:Regional affiliation
Affiliation1:Union of Latin American Parties[8]
Christian Democrat Organization of America
Colours: Green, white, yellow
Seats1 Title:Chamber of Deputies
Seats2 Title:Senate
Country:Bolivia

The Social Democratic Movement (Spanish; Castilian: Movimiento Demócrata Social; MDS),[9] often shortened to just the Democrats (Spanish; Castilian: Demócratas), is a far-right political party in Bolivia founded in 2013 for the movement for greater autonomy for the eastern departments of the Media Luna.

History

Ruben Costas, governor of Santa Cruz department, announced the party's formation in March 2013.[10] Twenty leaders gathered to launch the party in April 2013, including Costas, Beni governor Carmelo Lens and his predecessor Ernesto Suarez, Senator Bernard Gutierrez (PPB-Cochabamba), and Cochabamba council member Ninoska Lazarte. The launch was hosted by Savina Cuéllar, the former prefect of Chuquisaca Department, who as of April 2013, was under house arrest facing charges for the 24 May 2008, violence in Sucre.[11]

After a failed petition to legally merge the registration of Costas' Truth and Social Democracy (VERDES) party, Renewing Freedom and Democracy (Libertad y Democracia Renovadora; Líder), and Popular Consensus in June, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal authorized Popular Consensus to rename itself the Social Democratic Movement in August 2013.[12]

MDS participated in the 2014 election in alliance with the National Unity Front (UN), supporting the presidential candidacy of Samuel Doria Medina, electing 4 Deputies and one senator.

For the 2019 election, MDS and UN again joined to form the Bolivia Says No alliance, nominating Senator Óscar Ortiz as its presidential candidate. Within two weeks, the two parties split over internal disagreements, with MDS moving forward as the alliance's sole leader.[13]

Party member and opposition Senator Jeanine Áñez became interim president of Bolivia in November 2019, following protests caused by alleged electoral fraud which led to the resignation of the government of Evo Morales. This move was contested by senators for the Movement for Socialism (MAS), Morales' party, who were majority in the assembly and were not in attendance, and thus stated that the vote for interim president took place without a quorum.[14] However, the decision was upheld by the Plurinational Constitutional Court, which stated that it followed the succession mechanism stated in the Constitution of Bolivia.[15] [16]

Nevertheless, MAS maintains that Áñez's assumption to the presidency amounted to a coup d'état and in 2021 she was arrested under various charges relating to her assumption to the presidency.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Tom . Lansford . Political Handbook of the World 2014 . 156 . 9781483386263.
  2. Book: 2024-03-16 . 2017 . Jennifer . Cyr . 176–200 . Cambridge University Press . The Difficulties of Survival and Revival in a Hyper-Fluid Party System: Bolivia after 2005 . 10.1017/9781316995723.007 . 978-1-107-18979-9 .
  3. Web site: . Bolivia: political parties . . 14 November 2019 . 2 . April 2015.
  4. Book: Velásquez, Alejo Vargas . 2024-03-04 . 2023-06-09 . es . Universidad Nacional de Colombia . Las Relaciones de las Fuerzas Militares y de Policía en América Latina . 978-958-505-311-3 .
  5. Book: 2024-03-04 . Souverein . R . 2020 . Jan . José Luis Exeni . es . Friedrich Ebert Stiftung . Nuevo mapa de actores en Bolivia: crisis, polarización e incertidumbre (2019-2020) . 978-9917-30-007-6 .
  6. 2024-03-04 . Bringel . 2020-01-01 . Breno . Fundación Rosa Luxemburgo . (2020) Bolsonaro y el fin del ciclo democrático en Brasil .
  7. Web site: Members | International Democrat Union. February 2018.
  8. Web site: Partidos Miembros. 6 July 2020. 31 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220331204506/http://uplalatinoamerica.org/partidos-miembros/. dead.
  9. News: TSE inscribe al Movimiento Demócratas . Los Tiempos . 28 August 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131203000645/http://www.lostiempos.com/diario/actualidad/nacional/20130828/tse-inscribe-al-movimiento-democratas_226225_488572.html . 3 December 2013 .
  10. News: Candori . Iván . Costas da forma a un nuevo partido . La Razón . 24 November 2013 . 29 March 2013 . es .
  11. News: Lanzan Movimiento Demócrata Social . Los Tiempos . Cochabamba, Bolivia . 24 November 2013 . 25 April 2013 . es . dmy-all . https://web.archive.org/web/20131202231130/http://www.lostiempos.com/diario/actualidad/nacional/20130425/lanzan-movimiento-democrata-social_210650_452256.html . 2 December 2013 . dead .
  12. News: TSE inscribe al Movimiento Demócratas . Los Tiempos . Cochabamba, Bolivia . 24 November 2013 . 28 August 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131203000645/http://www.lostiempos.com/diario/actualidad/nacional/20130828/tse-inscribe-al-movimiento-democratas_226225_488572.html . 3 December 2013 . es .
  13. Web site: Demócratas y UN rompen la alianza; Evo se inscribe y el PDC lleva a Jaime Paz EL DEBER . 20 June 2022 . eldeber.com.bo . 29 November 2018 . es.
  14. News: Bolivia: Jeanine Añez claims presidency after ousting of Evo Morales. La Paz. Jo. Tuckman. Dan. Collyns. 13 November 2019. The Guardian. 13 November 2019. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  15. Web site: Áñez asume la Presidencia de Bolivia ante vacancia y aplicando la sucesión constitucional. Áñez assumes the Presidency of Bolivia due to vacancy and applying the constitutional succession. El Deber. 12 November 2019 . es. 13 November 2019.
  16. Web site: TCP avala sucesión constitucional en la Presidencia. TCP endorses constitutional succession in the Presidency. El Deber. 12 November 2019 . es. 13 November 2019.