The President of Bolivia, Luis Arce, has joined former President Evo Morales for a Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) event in Cochabamba, marking their first get together since Morales’ return.
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Arce and Vice President, David Choquehuanca, attended the national meeting, convened by Morales, which was held on Saturday at a convention center on the outskirts of the central city and attended by union leaders, peasants and Indigenous people of the MAS movements.
The meeting was organized to begin to analyze the proposals of the social organizations as the party looks ahead to the subnational elections which will be held in early 2021.
President Arce and Morales greeted each other with a handshake and a hug, amid applause and cheers from the militants present in the room.
In his speech, Arce said he was "happy" to be able to participate in the national meeting of the MAS that "has generated great expectations," all from a party which he deemed "the first force in the country."
"We listen and analyze the proposals of social organizations. With their contribution, we will continue to deepen the Process of Change for the good of the Bolivian people," Arce tweeted after the meeting with Morales and MAS leaders.
Upon his arrival to the auditorium, Arce was greeted by chants of “We are the majority!”
"One of the tasks we have is how to take care of President Lucho. That requires a lot of effort and sacrifice. Ideological and programmatic commitment," Morales said, later lamenting the state of public finances after 11 months of the de facto coup government.
"Unfortunately, they left us a shattered economy. I heard some words from Brother Lucho. We are not scared, but we do need time. It is a matter of time before the national economy is restarted again," said the former president.
Morales, who this week was announced as the National President of the MAS-IPSP, recalled that in 2006, when he began his first term, the country was in a poor economic situation. "But we got up," he remarked.
Luis Arce was sworn in to the presidency on November 8 and a day later Morales set foot on Bolivian soil again after a year of political persecution by the coup administration which is now being sought after for numerous crimes.
Additionally, Arce made his first visit as President to Cochabamba which included a breakfast in a market of the city center where he received displays of affection and support.