Bolivia's President Evo Morales (in the middle) participates in the IDEA co-sponsored workshop on "Constitution-Building Processes and Democratic Dialogues”, 23-24 July 2006, Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
More than 70 delegates to Bolivia’s Constituent Assembly - which began its work on 6 August 2006 and is charged with rewriting the Andean nation’s Constitution - attended an “International Workshop on Constitution-Building Processes and Democratic Dialogues” held 23-24 July 2006 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
The purpose of the workshop was to facilitate dialogue about constitution-building processes in various parts of the world, enabling the political leaders involved in the Bolivian process to learn about similar experiences in other countries and develop recommendations for the Bolivian process.
This was reiterated by the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, during the closing session of the workshop when he urged participants to learn from other countries’ experiences.
The workshop was co-sponsored by IDEA, UNDP Bolivia, and the Presidential Representation for the Constituent Assembly (REPAC), an ad hoc institution established to “facilitate organization, coordination, dissemination and advocacy” about the Constituent Assembly.
Presentations and panels focused on various aspects of consensus building and Constituent Assemblies. Two speakers from South Africa, Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim, member of the African National Congress Executive Committee, and Christine Murray, former adviser in South Africa’s constitution-building process, discussed the challenges and strategies used for consensus building in their country. Willy Olsen, an expert from Norway, discussed the relationship between natural resources, sovereignty and development in his country. Aristobulo Isturiz and Antonio Navarro Wolff, political leaders and key figures in the former constitutional assemblies of Venezuela and Colombia, described their countries’ constitutional and political reform processes. Several speakers also addressed key issues and challenges posed by Bolivia’s constitution building process.
IDEA contributed a study/policy paper, The Constituent Assembly in the Constitution-Building Process (available in Spanish), which outlines comparative experiences and options for preparations for the Constituent Assembly. The paper also addresses issues such as the composition and role of the assembly; its main functions and powers (including civic education, public consultation and decision-making rules); the role of the referendum; and the crucial stage of implementation.
During a discussion on constituent processes, Goran Fejic of IDEA spoke about the nature of modern constitutions; the process of developing a constitution with citizen participation; the need for trust, dialogue and balance among different needs and perspectives; and practical considerations such as who prepares the draft, how and when public consultation should be done; procedures for the assembly; the public nature of the proceedings; and the role of experts.
The workshop also provided the opportunity to present preliminary findings of the joint IDEA-UNDP survey of perceptions and aspirations related to Bolivia’s Constitution and Constituent Assembly. The survey found that the assembly enjoys a high degree of political legitimacy. It also shows that most Bolivians consider constitutional reform necessary, but prefer modification of existing structures over radical change.
IDEA launched its work in Bolivia in March 2004. Because of the importance of the Constituent Assembly, many of IDEA’s activities are geared toward supporting political parties and other groups as they develop and present proposals for constitutional reform.
Contact: Kristen Sample, Programme Officer for the Andean Region
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