Luis Arce: “We don’t want revenge in Bolivia, there is a...

Bolivia’s President-elect Luis Arce (La Paz, 57) says he is not concerned about his new responsibility. “We are used to it”, says in the plural, as the Bolivians used to say, the former Economy Minister of the Government of Evo Morales. He knows that he was elected to take the country out of the coronavirus crisis. It will apply the revenue that worked during the 14 years prior to the interim government of Jeanine Áñez: an economic model that generates activity through the state impulse to the internal market. In this interview with EL PAÍS at the headquarters of his campaign in La Paz, Arce minimizes the scope of social hatred against his party, the Movement for Socialism (MAS); promises that he will not seek revenge against those who have opened criminal proceedings against his comrades and guarantees that Morales will not rule, as his detractors claim.

Question. What did you feel when you were greeted by the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, who played such an important role in the crisis that it ended the government of Evo Morales?

Answer. I don’t know if “important” is the word. The OAS contributed to creating a climate so adverse that it eventually led to the coup. So we still have a resentment for what you did.

P. Is Almagro’s tweet congratulating you a victory for you?

R. Last year we also won the elections. Of course, now it was blunt and very clear. But last year we had 11 and a fraction [pontos percentuais a mais do que segundo, o ex-presidente Carlos Mesa]. The OAS has intervened in our country, violating the rule of observer organizations. We have given the best example that there can be no coups d’état or interference here.

P. When he was Minister of Economy, he had a strained relationship with the country’s great entrepreneurs. What can wealthy Bolivians expect from you?

R. We will continue with our economic model, which they also benefited from. They may be concerned, but what they cannot deny is that when I was a minister it was the most profitable period they have ever had. They increased their wealth. We have no problems with them, as long as they pay taxes.

P. You promised a tax on big fortunes. Will be applied?

R. No doubt. In the first few days we will send to the Legislative Assembly a draft tax on large fortunes to be discussed there. It is a tax that they have already applied in Uruguay and Colombia, for example. Even the Monetary Fund itself is recommending that it be applied. Only 0.01% of the population would pay it. Many millionaires around the world voluntarily paid more taxes to help with the covid-19 crisis. When we talk about “millionaires” we are not talking about a corporate asset, but a personal one. In our case, these, in general, did not manifest themselves. So it is necessary to make them “manifest” by force.

P. What can the poor expect from their government?

R. Oh, everything. Our characteristic has always been to seek the well-being of the most humble people, to allow them to have more income and improve their quality of life. We lifted almost two million people out of extreme poverty. In the 14 years [de Governo de Evo Morales] we have substantially reduced the gap between rich and poor, without impoverishing the rich, enriching the poor. This is what we will continue to do.

P. The economic situation is not the same as when he was a minister, but much more adverse.

P. In fact, if you look at 14, not all of them were beautiful, right? There were many difficult, falling prices. Therefore, facing adverse moments is nothing new for us. Despite this, when there were declines, Bolivia was in the first places of economic growth in the region. This is our model. And today our model is more necessary than ever, because it attacks demand and attacks production, seeking to increase them, while the neoliberal model attacks only production; is not interested in the internal market. This model is perfectly adapted to the crisis that the country is going through, which is of demand and production.

P. Do you continue with the idea of ​​financing this double “attack” with a moratorium on foreign debt?

R. It is necessary to negotiate Bolivian debt with financial organizations. During the pandemic, countries paid their debts, as if everything was fine, but it was not. The weight of the problem must be shared with organizations.

P. You have won the elections with force, but there are sectors that this year expressed a great rejection of your party. How will it guarantee governance?

R. It is clear that those who hate MAS are a minority, and a very minority minority. The force of victory shows this. We will talk to all sectors, including [o candidato de direita Luis Fernando] Camacho, although he doesn’t like us, because there is racism and hatred, a lot of hatred. Unfortunately, there was a lot of hatred against MAS and that is not a good thing. Hate should not be cultivated; instead, it is necessary to cultivate love to reap positive things.

P. Will there be no revenge?

R. No, we have no reason. There are people who have committed crimes and, of course, we will not cover them up. To answer to justice, but we do not want revenge. There are many things to do. We have to resolve the economic confusion that is leaving us.

P. At all times, Bolivian democratic governments have used the courts of justice against opponents. How to get out of this?

R. It is not good to judicialize politics. It affects the credibility of Justice itself and people must waste time in totally unfounded cases, as was my case. They did a great smear campaign to decrease our vote and you saw how our support is. What does that mean? That people didn’t believe in this campaign. We need to do politics in another way. Justice is a debt that we owe as MAS. We are not providing a good service of Justice to the people, we are mistaken with the election of the judicial authorities by vote. It is necessary to return to meritocracy, but not to the quota of judges and prosecutors of the 1990s.

P. Several of his companions are in legal trouble. Will you stay neutral?

R. When we take office, the judges and prosecutors will no longer have the pressure they suffer from this Government today. If we remove this pressure, judges and prosecutors will be able to act impartially, complying with the law, and it will be clear that most of the charges are eminently political. The lawsuits have to follow, the comrades have to defend themselves, but I think 99.9% of the cases are political.

P. Evo Morales has an exuberant and very centralizing personality. Will it affect you?

R. No. He will not change, he is an indisputable and historical leader in the process of change, he is an international leader. It will not change, nor do we intend it to change. It will be just like that. But the truth is that it will have no participation in the Government; he has his role as president of MAS, which is very important. In that time we realized that we failed to strengthen the instances of MAS itself. It can contribute to relationships [do Governo] with social organizations. And you will also be very busy trying to resolve the processes you have. We don’t see that what fellow Evo can do or say will affect us. What we do and don’t do, the mistakes we make, this is what can affect us. The ball is in our court.

P. How is your health? Have you fully recovered from your disease (a kidney tumor)?

R. Fortunately, we’re fine. Everything in order. Non-traditional medicine, traditional medicine and individual discipline achieved the goal.

P. Are you very disciplined?

R. Much. I always stick to my routines.