Evo Morales talks to Al Jazeera
Bolivian president defends his new constitution and accuses US of “conspiracy”.
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| Morales has accused the US of a “conspiracy” against his government [GALLO/GETTY] |
Evo Morales was born in one of the poorest parts of one of South America’s poorest countries.
But despite his underpriviliged upbringing (he was not able to even complete secondary school), he rose to become a prominent leader of Bolivia’s coca farmers.
He then captured the world’s attention in 2005 when he became the first Aymara indian to be elected president and became the latest left-wing elected leader in Latin America.
He is determined to press on with his Socialist revolution and redress the wrongs he says have been suffered in the past by Bolivia’s majority indigenous population.
However he has strong critics both at home and abroad.
Several of Bolivia’s wealthier provinces are seeking autonomy and have threatened to break away and Morales’ close friendship with the Cuban leader Fidel Castro and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez has raised eyebrows in the US.
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera’s Latin America editor, Lucia Newman, the Bolivian president accuses the US of a “conspiracy” against his government and says he has personally suffered racism from leaders opposed to his rule.
He defends his new constitution, which was drafted without the particpation of some opposition groups, and says Bolivia will not be split up.
This edition of Talk to Al Jazeera was aired on 28 March.
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