ESARP

National consensus on constitutional reform

In October 2008 a multiparty agreement in parliament made changes possible in the proposed National Constitution. Reaching an agreement was no easy task. There were periods when either the Government or the regional opposition, especially in the eastern provinces of Bolivia, rejected dialogue on the issue. Eventually, efforts by FBDM and others led to a negotiated agreement accepted by the main political stakeholders.

Increased knowledge of the issues discussed in parliament

The initiative of FBDM to establish an informal, interparty dialogue platform, involving leaders from MAS, PODEMOS, MNR and UN, played a key role in the achievement of agreement on the draft of the Constitution. The leaders met several times and achieved political compromises.

To help generate public support for the agreement, a book was published entitled "Puentes para un diálogo democrático" (Building Bridges toward Democratic Dialogue). It was used for numerous presentations to various sectors of the population to highlight possibilities for making the proposed National Constitution agree with the autonomous status of the provinces, including in Santa Cruz, where a well-attended event drew a crowd of 500 people.