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Secretary General Salutes Bolivian People and Government on the 30th Anniversary of Democratic Life

  October 10, 2012

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, saluted the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, and the Bolivian people on the day that marks 30 years of democracy in the South American country.

Insulza recalled that, on a day like today, in 1982, "Hernán Siles Suazo assumed the Presidency of the Republic after his victory in the presidential election, leaving behind nearly two decades of military dictatorship." Since that date, he said, "Bolivia has experienced the constitutional succession of seven democratically elected heads of state, who have led the country toward an institutional maturity and profound changes in national life."

The leader of the OAS emphasized that, "in the historical journey of the past 30 years, I must highlight the transcendence of the Constitution that the Bolivian people approved in 2009, which gave an institutional framework to the process of democratic consolidation that Bolivia is experiencing.”

"These 30 years have not been easy, but the Bolivian people have shown that their only choice is democracy, and therefore will always have the support of our organization," concluded Insulza.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-364/12