Bolivia Continues Its Turn To The Left

Exit polls suggest that 60% of Bolivia has approved a new constitution backed by President Evo Morales that he says will empower the country's indigenous majority.

Planned reforms include greater state control of natural resources, reductions in future land holdings and the creation of state assemblies. President Morales, an Aymara Indian, has pursued political reform but has met fierce resistance from some sectors.

Opponents concentrated in Bolivia's eastern provinces, which hold rich gas deposits, argue that the new constitution would create two classes of citizenship - putting indigenous people ahead of others. Morales has said the new constitution will pave the way for correcting the historic inequalities of Bolivian society, where the economic elite is largely of European descent.

The new constitution was made possible only after Morales agreed to seek only one more 5-year term if re-elected this December. The new constitution also includes a bill of rights, increases state control over the economy, limits the size of big land holdings and redistributes revenues from the important gas fields in the east to poorer parts of the nation.

Indigenous people would be granted autonomy over their traditional lands and a "priority" share of the revenue from natural resources. But many of the areas where natural resources are found are governed by the opposition and would also be granted greater autonomy. Analysts say it remains unclear how some of the constitution's articles can be reconciled.