HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 26 (acn) – Bolivian President Evo Morales said the approval Sunday of a new constitution for the country is part of the process he calls the re-founding of the nation.
According to Prensa Latina news agency, Morales said the approval of the new constitution that substitutes the one in force since 1967, is the result of the people’s conscious choice.
Speaking from the balcony of the presidential palace to a large crowd in Plaza Murillo, Morales congratulated his supporters for backing the process of change that began in January 2006.
“Thank you for voting for a new Bolivia with equal rights for all,” he stressed.
Morales praised the contribution of social movements, particularly the historically excluded and exploited peasant and indigenous groups.
He said the new constitution brings an end to the colonial and neoliberal state that “auctioned off our natural resources,” in reference to the articles in the approved constitution that defend the national patrimony over raw materials.
Evo Morales added that “the implementation of the new constitution is one of the greatest challenges ahead.”
“The new Bolivia has begun, a state with a nation…a more united and dignified Bolivia,” he said.
The constitutional referendum took place peacefully, with preliminary results showing a support of around 60 percent of the four million voters.
