La Paz, Bolivia, Oct 12, 2007 / 09:13 am
The vice president and the general secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Bolivia, Bishop Edmundo Abastoflor and Bishop Jesus Juarez, have asked President Evo Morales not to follow in the steps of Hugo Chavez of Venezuela because that would not lead to authentic development in Bolivia.
According to local media, Bishop Abastoflor warned that if Bolivia follows “a Venezuelan-style democracy we are going down a bad path, and we are going to find ourselves facing a wall that will perhaps bring more confrontation than advances.”
His comments came after Bishop Juarez recently called on Morales not “to imitate or adore foreign democracies like that of Venezuela” or revere “someone who comes to offer us things that will not lead to authentic development.”
The comments by both bishops come as the Bolivian government is increasingly criticized for being influenced by Chavez and the country celebrates the 25th anniversary of the restoration of democracy in Bolivia.