Bolivian coup worsens crisis

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Figueiredo and friend

pressure on the dictatorshipbut they are headed by a bunch of opportunist lackeys who have' successfully avoided any major confrontation with the dictatorship and manoeuvred away from political demands and organisation.

The struggle to construct a labour party and bring down the dictatorship requires the fight for the removal of these figures and the total rejection of the numerous attempts by the bourgeoisie to gain control over the workers' movement through the resuscitation of the pre1964 leadership or some spurious alliance with sectors of the opposition MDB party.

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'Communists' Against Two essays on post-war Stalinism by Adam Westoby and Tim Wohlforth The Bolivian political system is in total crisis and threatens to disintegrate following the mass resistance to the right wing coup by Colonel Natusch.

The daily demonstrations and week-long general strike forced Natusch into blanket repression with a state of siege, censorship, a series of arrests and the shooting of at least a hundred opponents of the dictatorial regime which he attempted to establish on 1 November.

The resistance prompted ex-President Guevara and Commander-in-Chief Padilla to hold out against the Natusch sector of the army -and this has led to neartotal repudiation of the coup by the bourgeois political parties as well as substantial sectors of the military.

An attempted countercoup on November 3, the wavering allegiance of the airforce and the opposition of the country's police force (which is virtually under arrest in its barracks following the execution of its Commander last Tuesday) have forced Natusch into negotiations and the lifting of martial law.

Avoid split

Natusch's position is extremely weak, for although he has the support of ex-dictator Banzer's ADN party and a substantial proportion of the upper echelons of the military, this is primarily because these sectors see the maintenance of the regime as the only way to avoid a total split in the army similar to that which . occurred in 1952.

Then the split enabled the nationalist MNR to take power following the mass insurrection and the total defeat of the military.

The fear of a repetition of these events is also shared by the bourgeois opposition; but they correctly hold the view that any compromise solution that includes Natusch's continuation in power will simply result in civil war.

However, in the. labyrinthine negotiations that have taken place over the last week Natusch has been holding out for his inclusion in some form of government.

Union delegate

The compromise thought most likely was a threeperson junta comprising a member of the army, a representative of Congress and a delegate from the trade union federation, the COB but this was rejected by Juan Lechin, secretary general of the COB, and now the bourgeoisie has shied away from this too.

Lechin has been wavering in his position and has only been held back from the most opportunist i9 halt, defended their radions stations, and continuerto ot call for the overthrow of therer dictatorship. vinc ymor 209 Released ot onf The general strikep hasoT now been lifted intresponserd to Natusch's freemg kórgio the brink of armed conflict.

The stalemate cannot continue for very much longer.

Guevara, sensing this, came out from hiding and disguised in a wig and tennis gear, scuttled into the reopened Congress to reaffirm the legitimacy of his "parallel government' and urge opposition to the Natusch regime-before escaping from the military intelligence by way ofTa 15itlare Ja-- kitcnen aoor. Japromo Colourful episodes: suckT as this serve to illustrateotherio total within the bourgeoisie Although thenkulk of the s bourgeois parties have been" able to retains theim demon cratic' credentials,; nitrelen patently obvious that canven return to bourgeois demo cratic forms of rule Wannot avoid thfoscalation of the class struggle in Boliyial git The Natusch coupis only si the färstyd thoroughlysinior conceived, attempt to stewr the advances of the proletThe issue is notithe legitimash-of Guevara, (opgressne oIc whataysso AALTSIan, BaYto confusion zausedi ibyw the cande seçtionsmof the repressive ra state apparatustdurnitupon nt eachrotheritthe conditionsite :0p.0g1#43448718884-5800

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