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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LA PAZ 000584 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/14/2016 
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL BL
SUBJECT: CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY LAW PASSED 
 
 
Classified By: Amb. David N. Greenlee for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).1. 
 
¶1. (C)  Summary: Late March 4, Congress passed the enabling 
law for the Constituent Assembly (CA) as well as parallel 
legislation for a legally binding referendum on autonomy to 
take place on July 2.   Morales, claiming victory for meeting 
the March 4 deadline to approve the CA legislation, 
celebrated the opportunity to "begin the democratic and 
cultural revolution." A closer look, however, reveals that 
the opposition effectively bargained for important 
modifications to the MAS proposal, including representation 
of minority political parties in the CA, a guarantee that 
Congress will continue to function until the new constitution 
is promulgated, a post-CA referendum to approve its results, 
political space for indigenous participation, and the legally 
binding autonomy referendum to be held concurrently with the 
July 2 CA election.  At least at this early stage, the MAS 
demonstrated a tactical ability to compromise and negotiate 
with the opposition in Congress. Again, Bolivia will enter 
into another campaign season--some have called it Round 
Two--to prepare for the July 2 elections, which many 
Bolivians consider to be even more important than the recent 
December elections.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C)  Late March 4, Congress unanimously approved the 
enabling law for the Constituent Assembly (CA).  The law 
provides that the CA will take place in Sucre and last six 
months to one year.  There will be 255 representatives total, 
210 from the 70 electoral districts across the country  (3 
representatives per district), plus 45 representatives from 
the nine departments (five per department).  Of the three 
representatives per district, one must be female; of the five 
per department, two must be female. 
 
¶3. (C)  On the same day, Congress also passed legislation for 
a legally binding referendum on autonomy to take place on 
July 2, the same date CA representatives will be elected. 
The referendum will offer a yes/no response to the following 
question: 
 
Do you agree that, within the framework of national unity, 
the Constituent Assembly should be given a binding mandate to 
establish a regime of departmental autonomy, applicable 
immediately upon the ratification of the new political 
constitution with the departments where such a referendum won 
a majority of the votes, so that their departmental 
authorities will be elected directly by the citizens and 
received from the State executive competencies, 
administrative regulating powers, and the financial and 
economic resources to which the department may be entitled by 
the new Constitution and the laws? 
 
Only those departments in which the referendum is approved by 
a simple majority would be entitled to autonomy as described 
in the referendum upon promulgation of the new Constitution. 
 
¶4. (C)  Morales is claiming victory for meeting the March 4 
deadline and driving the MAS bill through Congress, boasting 
"mission accomplished" in a March 6 speech in El Alto.  A 
closer look, however, reveals that the opposition effectively 
bargained for important modifications in the MAS proposal, as 
follows: 
 
--Representation of minority political parties in the CA. 
Under the approved law, for the representatives elected by 
district, the party winning each district will gain two 
representatives; the third representative per district will 
go to the second place political party.  For the 
department-wide contests, the party winning the most votes 
will gain two representatives, and the second, third and 
fourth place finishers will win one representative each. 
 
--Guarantee that Congress will remain in session.  The law 
also provides that Congress will continue to function under 
the rules of the current constitution until the new 
constitution is promulgated, as will the other branches of 
government. 
 
LA PAZ 00000584  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
--Post-CA referendum.  The new law requires that a referendum 
be held within 120 days of the closing of the CA to approve 
its results.  A simple majority is needed to approve the new 
constitution. 
 
--Political space for indigenous participation.  In addition 
to political parties and citizens groups, indigenous 
organizations may nominate candidates for the CA by merely 
registering with the National Electoral Court 90 days before 
July 2. 
 
--Legally binding autonomy referendum (see paragraph 3 above). 
 
¶5. (C)  Comment: All in all, the final law shows a measure of 
political balance and an opening to counter expected MAS 
overreaching in the CA.  At the same time, however, MAS 
tactical concessions at this early stage do not necessarily 
signal strategic moderation.  Morales delivered what he 
promised:  enabling legislation--albeit imperfect from the 
MAS perspective--that keeps the CA on its timetable and 
sending Bolivia, once again, into another campaign season. 
End comment. 
GREENLEE