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Bolivian president plans referendum in face of protests

Bolivian President Evo Morales on Wednesday proposed a referendum on his leadership as a way out of a political crisis gripping Bolivia, and challenged opposition governors to do the same.

Speaking on national television, Bolivia's first indigenous president said he would send congress a proposal to put his leadership to a popular "rapid vote."

"If the people say that I should go, I don't have any problem with that. Let the people say who goes and who stays," Morales said.

"If they are democrats, let's bet on democracy," he said, challenging opposition leaders among Bolivia's nine provincial governors.

Morales didn't provide more details on the referendum or what questions voters would be asked. Allies of the president hold a majority in the lower house of congress, but not in Bolivia's Senate.

Bolivia has been paralyzed by violent street protests and strikes as the opposition accuses Morales of acting illegally and seeking to concentrate his own power through a proposed constitutional overhaul.

A staunch ally of leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Morales has nationalized Bolivia's energy industry and other natural resources, and is pushing for a constitutional rewrite that he says is necessary to redistribute land and wealth more equitably.

Just last week, banks, shops, schools and public transportation were shuttered in cities across Bolivia, as demonstrators protested a new law tapping regional budgets for a fund for the elderly.

And three demonstrators were killed last month in Sucre, where an assembly has been meeting to rewrite the Bolivia's constitution.

As Morales made his announcement on Wednesday, four provincial governors were visiting the Organization of American States in Washington to protest actions by the Morales administration. Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca on Wednesday rejected mediation by the OAS, and Morales said the conflict should be settled at home.

"It's not about complaining outside the country, but about submitting ourselves to the will of the people," Morales said.

However, a similar referendum on leadership was first proposed by two opposition-aligned provincial governors, after protests erupted over the constitutional assembly dominated by Morales' allies.
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