Bolivian
lawmaker Rafael Quispe has held talks with the U.S. government in
order to formulate a political strategy for the country's next
elections.
Bolivian
lawmaker from the National Unity (UN) opposition Party, Rafael Quispe
revealed on Tuesday that he held secret meeting with the U.S. embassy
officials in order to construct a political platform for the general
elections in 2019.
During a
radio interview, Quispe went on to point out that the country’s
current opposition leaders including Samuel Doria Medina and former
president Jorge Quiroga did not participate in the gatherings, given
that U.S. officials did not consider them to be a "viable"
option.
“Yes,
we met with the U.S. embassy, but not with the other opposition
leaders, because (for) the Embassy and for the country, Tuto (Jorge
Quiroga) and Samuel Doria Medina are not politically viable, but our
political project is an option,” Quispe said in an interview
with Radio Fides.
Current
President Evo Morales was reelected head-of-state in general
elections in 2014. Morales beat the second place candidate,
conservative businessman, Samuel Doria Medina of the Democratic Union
party, who only captured 25.07 percent of the popular vote. Former
president Jorge Quiroga took third place, with 9.44 percent of the
national vote.
Quispe added
that his political platform will include the country’s “indigenous
and mestizo” population. He also stated that he had also met
with officials from the other embassies in order to strengthen
bilateral relations.
This not the
first time the U.S. has been accused of unduly interfering and
influencing Bolivian domestic politics. Last February, Bolivian
officials accused the United States of sending social media experts
to his country to help the opposition during the recent campaign to
determine if term limits would be altered.
Quispe along
with his wife were recently implicated in a major corruption scandal
involving a Bolivian-based foundation known as the Indigenous Fund.
Prosecutors allege that Quispe and his wife were linked to at least
five phantom development projects that were sponsored by the
Indigenous Fund.
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