The Wire

Bolivia is one of Latin America’s poorest countries – it’s a place where one in four people do not have enough food to eat. Its also a country that has seen extreme upheaval over the past few years, with two presidents being kicked out of office in as many years. But its not all bleak – in Bolvia these days, the use of people power is taken very seriously and recently, it has forced corporations and governments to make major concessions. The latest strife saw strikes cripple the country in May and June as a coalition of workers, indigenous people, peasants and students protested for the nationalization of the one thing the country has in abundance – natural gas. These strikes follow successful bids to return water controlled by foreign companies to local control in two cities. Now the interim Bolivian president, Eduardo Rodriguez has announced there will be elections held in December. But will this be enough to settle the protestors? Paula Pfoeffor is an Australian librarian who has been living and working in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba for the past two years. She told the Wire’s Erica Vowles that the broad social movement that has swept across the country is seeking much more than just another new president.