Evo Morales resigns

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Apparently it's kind of a coup- all the Ministers  resignedone by one, Morales left a letter of resignation in the President's palace and escaped. His plane was seen above rural areas, reportedly he's escaping to Argentina. This is according to Israeli journalist Nadav Eyal.

So we basically have two great Latin American traditions coming together: leaders overstating their welcome and coups.

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So we have the office vacant, since the entire line of succession (VP, Presidents of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies) resigned as well.

WTF is going on?

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On the right side of history with Pinochet, on the right side of history tonight.

https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/1193657983219257344

The would-be Butcher of Britain never found a left-wing autocrat he didn't support.

Yes we get it, you think that military coups (very possibly followed by ethnic genocide) are cool.

Bolsonaro and Pinochet admirer too, I presume?

Pinochet was awful, just like all dictators. Bolsonaro has awful policies, although he's at least an elected official.

Bolsonaro's policies are far, far worse (and more devastating) than Morales'. I wonder if some people now cheering the coup in Bolivia would feel the same way if Bolsonaro were to be coup'd. Probably not, since Bolsonaro's "on the right side".

How do you feel about Morales' kidnapping of Jacob Ostreicher? Because I can guess how Corbyn feels about it.

Sure, another excuse to make everything about Corbyn

And speaking of the abuses of power committed by Morales, they ought to be condemned.

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Normally it would be a welcome development, and Morales deserves a credit for not clinging onto power, which could make things worse. The problem is that certain elements may very well sneak into power.

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Not knowing when to quit is unfortunately still pretty common for Latin American leaders. Aside of classical examples of tailoring the constitution to allow yourself unlimited reelection, like Venezuela, the same goes even for countries with strict term limits. In Peru you have a bunch of former Presidents running in every election. In Chile the presidency essentially alternated between Bachelet and Pinera during last few cycles, and before that we had Frei running again. In Uruguay Vasquez returned after waiting out his four years.

Correra is among those honorable examples of not trying to mess with the constitution by allowing himself more terms. Instead he stepped down and supported his preferred successor (even though Lenin turned out to be a sore disappointment).

It all makes me even more in fabor of the Mexican system. You got one term and then you can never, ever serve again.

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Also, I'll say it again, Piñera has both the duty and the (constitutional, legal and democratic) right to finish his term. Not only that, his resignation would not solve the crisis and would make the situation even worse, the last thing the country needs is a power vacuum.

I got to agree here. If he didn't break any law or failed to uphold his oath, then there's no reason for Pinera to be required to resign. And it wouldn't really accomplish anything positive. South America is becoming increasingly unstable and even Chile, with its remarkable history of transition to a functioning democracy, is not immune. I may not like Pinera, but the democratic legitimacy and government continuity must be respected.

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It all makes me even more in favor of the Mexican system. You got one term and then you can never, ever serve again.

Which is a reaction to the Porfiriato.  Revolutionary leaders seldom know when to let go of power and let those who follow take charge, at least officially.

Of course the biggest shortcomings of the Sexenio during the period of PRI's total rule was that outgoing President pretty much picked his successor. Yet most former leaders of that era largely adhered to keeping a low profile in retirement, refraining from trying to exercise unofficial power (Luis Echeverria being one infamous example). Calles tried this with Cardenas and got himself exiled.

I think having such six years term would be beneficial in the U.S. A four years term, with the possibility of reelection, proved to be breeding disfunctionality. You essentially have one year to try doing something meaningful. Then it's the midterms campaign and after that you're already either running for reelection or become a lame duck. Frequent elections and long electoral cycles may be exciting for us, political junkies, but are not good for the country.