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January 26, 2009

Bolivians Approve New Constitution
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Bolivian President Evo Morales has claimed victory after voters approved
a new constitution that would advance indigenous rights and reaffirm
state control over Bolivia’s natural gas reserves.

Evo Morales: “The colonial state ends here. Internal colonialism and
external colonialism end here. Sisters and brothers, neoliberalism ends
here, too.”

About 60 percent of voters approved the referendum. The new constitution
will give the indigenous majority more seats in Congress and greater
clout in the justice system. It also officially recognizes their
pre-Columbian spiritual traditions and promotes indigenous languages.



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