 |
Bolivia's New President Has a Long Way to Go in One Year
After his inauguration Tuesday, Jorge Quiroga formally took over the reins of the Bolivian government amid high expectations of a prompt recovery from the economic crisis in the country.
Former President Hugo Banzer, whose term would have ended on August 6, 2002, resigned Monday due to lung and liver cancer, leaving the presidency to the U.S.-educated vice president.
Creating an emergency plan to stimulate the country's faltering economy will be one of Quiroga's first steps after forming a new cabinet. To earn the confidence of the Bolivian people, analysts say Quiroga must generate jobs and find ways to deal with the effects of neighboring Argentina's economic crisis.
In the past three years, the South American country saw its gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate drop from 5.52 percent in 1998 to zero percent forecasted for this year. Unemployment soared from 4 percent to almost 9 percent in the same period.
Many Bolivians are cautious but hopeful that during Quiroga's one-year tenure, the country's economic situation will improve.
The 41-year-old Quiroga graduated with honors from Texas A&M University before getting his business degree from St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas.
After working for seven years with IBM in Austin, Quiroga returned to Bolivia and worked for more than a decade in the financial field, in the private sector and in government positions.
While his experience abroad has helped him become internationally savvy, Quiroga will need to call on other skills to deal with Bolivia's discontented indigenous farmers, whose leader Felipe Quispe has threatened to launch more road blockades if the new president fails to prove he is serious about listening to their needs, analysts say.
The new president may also face internal challenges within his political party, of which Banzer will remain the leader, by older members who have separated from the more modern sector led by Quiroga.
Other tasks on Quiroga's formidable to-do list include implementing constitutional reforms, sending out clear signals that his government is against corruption, and ensuring transparent elections for next summer.
In This Section
|