Evo Shuffles His Cabinet

Last night, as part of marking the completion of his first year in office, President Morales announced the replacement of seven out of sixteen members of his presidential cabinet. The reshuffle had been a subject of much speculation for the past few weeks, following an “evaluation” of the ministers at a MAS-led social movement’s conclave (MAS-affiliated movements) here in Cochabamba.

Gone are the ministers of education, interior, justice, economy, labor, rural development and public works. The ousted Education Minister, Felix Patzi, has been a particular flashpoint for the new government, starting with his demand to end Catholic religious education in the schools, putting the government into conflict with the powerful Catholic Church. Patizi also failed to endear himself to private schools and much of the Bolivian middle class when he issued a government order that schools needed to teach classes in indigenous languages (a move with some merit but not as a blanket matter for all schools in the nation). In fact, it was the former Education Minister’s proclamations that sent the first major anti-Evo protests into the streets here in Cochabamba, long before the 2/3 vote issue and autonomy became the major flash points.

Gone also is Justice Minister Casimira Rodriguez, the former leader of Bolivia’s domestic workers’ union and someone we at The Democracy Center know well and have a good deal of respect for. Rodriguez, a Cochabambina who wears a traditional pollera, was often referred to in foreign media profiles as a “former-maid” not recognizing her record as a labor organizer nationally and internationally. Her work as Justice Minister focused on anti-corruption efforts.

Another Minister, Salvador Ric, a Cruceño whose participation in the cabinet was supposed to help Morales build a bridge to Santa Cruz and the business community, resigned last week, claiming that the government failed to heed his views.