Interview: Former Bolivian foreign minister calls U.S. political model "outdated"

This photo taken on Jan. 6, 2023 shows the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

The U.S. democratic model is in decline now as it has not adapted to the current global reality and the changes that are taking place in the political, social, and economic spheres, said former Bolivian foreign minister Fernando Huanacuni.

LA PAZ, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol two years ago and the bitter battle over the speakership of the U.S. House of Representatives have shown the world that the American political model is "outdated," former Bolivian foreign minister Fernando Huanacuni has said.

The democratic model of the United States "is outdated and worn out because it now generates violence and intolerance, with assaults on institutions," Huanacuni told Xinhua on Friday.

The U.S. democratic model is in decline now as it has not adapted to the current global reality and the changes that are taking place in the political, social, and economic spheres, said the Bolivian politician.

On Jan. 6, 2021, supporters of outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump violently stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C., disrupting a joint session of Congress to affirm the results of the 2020 presidential election in which Joe Biden won.

According to the Department of Justice, more than 900 people were arrested for crimes related to the destruction of the Capitol.

And in recent days, there was also an unprecedented lack of consensus over the election of the speaker of the House of Representatives, who failed to be chosen with 14 ballots.

These two events show the fragility of U.S. institutions, which need to adjust to the current times, said Huanacuni.

On the future of democracy in the country, the former foreign minister said that there needs to be a new social pact, and the relaunching of a process of democratic change based on the new reality.

"The global political scenario is changing. The axis of the new political order must be a democracy that characterizes and stimulates the needs of the people," he said.

If changes are not made, he said, the United States is destined for failure, fragmentation, and the deepening of democratic decadence.

He stressed that a new political model is necessary to provide answers to the needs of the people through consensus and dialogue.