Bolivian president to call elections once new constitution finalized

Bolivian President Evo Morales said on Friday that he will call elections as early as next year once the Constituent Assembly finishes creating a new national constitution, according to news reaching here.

Speaking in the eastern province of Santa Cruz, Morales said "next year we will call a new election so there can be a new president and new legislators."

He said the Assembly will complete the constitution this year, scheduled for Aug. 6, and that Bolivia would have to be "refounded" once it is finalized.

The president underlined that he would call an election because of many due changes to Bolivia's political, social and economic structure.

He did not say if he would take part in the election, even though his current mandate was set to run out until 2011.

The assembly was elected in July 2006, and installed a month later with 255 members. However, it only started deep deliberations a month ago, due to fighting and mutual recriminations between the opposition and the assembly members.

Morales won the 2005 presidential elections with 53.7 percent of the vote.

"I have to take advantage of the little time I have to serve the people," Morales said, adding that politics was the art of serving the people, not taking advantage of them.

Source: Xinhua