The National Accord, the consensus-building process that grew out of Peru’s electoral crisis in 2000, may serve as an example for neighboring Bolivia, which has had three presidents in the past two years and where elections scheduled for December are in doubt.
A Peruvian delegation visited Bolivia 18-21 Sept. to discuss lessons about leadership and consensus-building learned through the experience of the National Accord. The visit was part of a project sponsored by IDEA and the Club de Madrid, with funding from the European Commission and the Corporación Andina de Fomento.
The delegation, which met with Bolivian political, labor, grassroots and business leaders, and with European diplomats, consisted of Max Hernández, National Accord technical secretary; former President Valentín Paniagua (Acción Popular); Congressman Jorge del Castillo; labor leader Eduardo Castillo of the Confederación General de Trabjadores del Perú; and business leader Raul Delgado Sayán of the Confederación de Institutos Empresariales Privadas.
Their message was especially timely in Bolivia, where tension has run high between labour and grassroots groups, mainly in the highlands, and business leaders in the lowland city of Santa Cruz.
Distrust
Nearly three years of political crises and social upheaval have increased Bolivians’ distrust of political parties. The emergence of new alliances and political groups in some ways resembles the process that occurred after the fall of the government of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori in 2000.
Over the next four years, Bolivia is scheduled to go through six electoral processes to choose political authorities and decide on reforms, including presidential general elections in December 2005 and a Constituent Assembly in July 2006. While there have been some efforts at dialogue, they are incipient and there has been little civil society participation.
“We’re trying to lay the initial groundwork for what could be an eventual post-election dialogue and consensus-building process”, IDEA Andean regional director Kristen Sample said.
The Peruvian delegation came away from the talks with their Bolivian counterparts with renewed confidence in the National Accord process.
“When you see what can happen when there is no negotiation between politicians and civil society, you become more and more convinced that dialogue is possible, it’s necessary and it’s the only way to move forward”, Sample said.
The visit followed a similar mission in July by Andean parliamentarians as part of the IDEA’s Agora Democrática project.
Contact: Kristen Sample, IDEA Andean regional director
From the Peruvian delegation, and from left to right: Guido Galli and Kristen Sample, both from IDEA, Andres Torrez from Club de Madrid, Acuerdo Nacional Technical Secretary Max Hernandez, CGTP Rep Eduardo Castillo, APRA Secretary General Jorge del Castillo, Ambassador Luzmila Zanabria, CONFIEP Rep Raul Castro and Maria Cecilia Rozas Ponce de Leon from the Peruvian Embassy.
Discuss
Tell a friend
