Four Bolivian provinces on Thursday declared their intention to break away from the central government in an open revolt against President Evo Morales.
Santa Cruz, the wealthiest province of the country, approved an "autonomy statute," which will allow the province to hold on to nearly two-thirds of the tax revenues it currently turns over to central authorities.
Santa Cruz is the stronghold of the eastern opposition provinces. Provincial leaders said they will seek a provincial referendum in coming months to approve the statute.
The other three provinces of Beni, Pando and Tarija followed Santa Cruz's move, saying they will approve similar regional charters by Saturday. The four provinces represent some 35 percent of Bolivia's more than 8.5 million people.
In response, Morales' government called on its supporters in Santa Cruz to go to the street to protest the provinces' autonomy move.
The Morales government also sent 400 extra policemen to Santa Cruz this week to prevent the province from going further on its way of seeking autonomy.
The four provinces' move increased tensions between the leftist president and the rightist opposition in Bolivia over a new constitution, which allows the president to run for a second consecutive term and changes in electoral rules for both houses of Congress.
The four provinces strongly opposed the constitution, calling themselves victims of the changes.
As the country's first indigenous president, Morales enjoyed support from the poor, indigenous majority that lives primarily in arid Andean highlands.
Source: Xinhua
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