,,iii ,calendar ,no4 #eh #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #ce ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,january #ca1 #bjai,mr4 ,menendez 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 and ,mr4 ,cruz7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,april #d1 #bjai,reported by ,mr4 ,risch1 without amendment and with an amendment to the preamble,strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic ,,resolution ,supporting democratic principles and standards in ,bolivia and throughout ,latin ,america4 ,whereas the nation of ,bolivia proclaimed independence from ,spain on ,august #f1 #ahbe1 with ,simn ,bolvar as its president2 ,whereas ,bolivia endured more than a century of fragile governance and instability1 with more than #aej changes of leadership since it gained independence and at least six military coups between #aieb and #aiha alone2 ,whereas1 between ,october #f and #g1 #aigj1 and again on ,july #ba1 #aigh1 ,bolivia experienced a succession of military coups resulting in three different governments over each respective period2 ,whereas a transition to civilian democracy occurred in #aihb1 after the ruling military junta handed over power to a civilian government1 which managed to maintain control despite major economic upheavals and painful market reforms2 ,whereas elected ,president ,gonzalo ,sanchez de ,lozada and his successor ,carlos ,mesa both resigned in the face of destabilizing protests in #bjjc and #bjje1 respectively2 ,whereas1 in #bjje1 ,evo ,morales won his first term as president1 becoming ,bolivia's first indigenous citizen elected to the office2 ,whereas ,bolivia's historically marginalized indigenous peoples represent approximately #da percent of the country's population1 according to the #bjab ,bolivian census2 ,whereas1 in #bjjf1 the people of ,bolivia elected a constituent assembly to write a new constitution recognizing greater political and economic rights for the country's indigenous population1 while key opposition parties boycotted the constituent assembly election2 ,whereas1 in #bjjh1 a recall referendum on ,president ,morales was rejected by #fg percent of voters in ,bolivia2 ,whereas1 in #bjjh1 amidst growing protests in the country and rising tensions between ,bolivia and the ,united ,states1 ,president ,morales expelled the ,united ,states ambassador to ,bolivia2 ,whereas1 in #bjji1 ,bolivians approved1 by a vote of more than #fj percent in a nationwide referendum1 a new constitution that included a limit of two five-year presidential terms2 ,whereas1 in #bjji1 ,president ,morales won reelection to a second term with more than #fj percent of the vote2 ,whereas1 in #bjac1 ,president ,morales' loyalists in ,bolivia's ,legislative ,assembly approved legislation allowing him to run for a third term--a law that ,president ,morales' political allies in the ,bolivian ,constitutional ,tribunal affirmed1 ruling that the two-term limit in the country's new constitution did not apply because ,president ,morales' first term was under the old constitution2 ,whereas1 in #bjac1 ,president ,morales expelled the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development for trying to conspire against ,bolivia2 ,whereas1 in #bjad1 ,president ,morales won his third term as president1 with #fj percent of the vote2 ,whereas1 in #bjaf1 the ,government of ,bolivia called a national referendum to modify the constitution in order to allow for an additional term for ,morales2 ,whereas1 that same year1 more than half of voters in ,bolivia rejected the proposed lifting of presidential term limits that would have allowed ,president ,morales to run for a fourth term and serve at least #bj years in office2 ,whereas1 after the referendum1 the ,morales ,administration increased its troubling rhetoric against opposition media and advanced a narrative suggesting a plot to prevent ,president ,morales from staying in power2 ,whereas1 in #bjag1 ,president ,morales' loyalists on the ,bolivian ,constitutional ,tribunal lifted constitutional term limits arguing that they violated the candidates' human rights1 citing the ,american ,convention of ,human ,rights1 adopted at ,san ,jose ,november #bb1 #aifi1 the main human rights treaty in the ,americas1 as the legal foundation for its decision2 ,whereas the ,convention states that political rights can only be limited under very specific circumstances1 a provision which1 when drafted in #aifi1 was intended to prevent abusive governments from arbitrarily barring opposition candidates and not to impede constitutional reelection limits designed to reduce corruption and abuse of power given ,latin ,america's long history of violent and prolonged dictatorship2 ,whereas the ,bolivian ,constitutional ,tribunal's ruling rendered ,bolivia one of a very small number of countries in the ,western ,hemisphere that does not place limits on presidential reelection2 ,whereas the ,secretary ,general of the ,organization of ,american ,states said the cited clause does not mean the right to perpetual power4 ''' ,besides1 presidential re-election was rejected by popular will in a referendum in #bjaf42 ,whereas1 in ,march #bjah1 a report commissioned by the ,organization of ,american ,states specifically related to this issue stated that-- 7#a7 ,there is no specific and distinct human right to re-election42 7#b7 ,term limits ''' are a reasonable limit to the right to be elected because they prevent an unlimited exercise of power in the hands of the ,president42 and 7#c7 ,the limits on a president's re-election do not therefore unduly restrict his_/her human and political rights42 and ,whereas the ,morales era has seen many social and economic gains1 but also a weakening and undermining of key democratic institutions in order to favor the ruling party3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,whereas the nation of ,bolivia proclaimed independence from ,spain on ,august #f1 #ahbe1 with ,simn ,bolvar as its president2 ,whereas ,bolivia endured more than a century of fragile governance and instability1 with more than #aej changes of leadership since it gained independence2 ,whereas ,bolivia experienced a succession of military coups that resulted in the irregular transfer of power between presidents and military juntas during the period of #aifd to #aihb2 ,whereas a transition to civilian democracy occurred in #aihb1 after the ruling military junta handed over power to a civilian government1 which managed to maintain control despite major economic upheavals and painful market reforms2 ,whereas elected ,president ,gonzalo ,sanchez de ,lozada and his successor ,carlos ,mesa both resigned in the face of destabilizing protests in #bjjc and #bjje1 respectively2 ,whereas1 in #bjje1 ,evo ,morales won his first term as president1 becoming ,bolivia's first indigenous citizen elected to the office2 ,whereas ,bolivia's historically marginalized indigenous peoples represent approximately #da percent of the country's population1 according to the #bjab ,bolivian census2 ,whereas1 in #bjjf1 the people of ,bolivia elected a constituent assembly to write a new constitution recognizing greater political and economic rights for the country's indigenous population1 while key opposition parties boycotted the constituent assembly election2 ,whereas1 in #bjjh1 a recall referendum on ,president ,morales was rejected by #fg percent of voters in ,bolivia2 ,whereas1 in #bjjh1 amidst growing protests in the country and rising tensions between ,bolivia and the ,united ,states1 ,president ,morales expelled the ,united ,states ambassador to ,bolivia2 ,whereas1 in #bjji1 ,bolivians approved1 by a vote of more than #fj percent in a nationwide referendum1 a new constitution that included a limit of two five-year presidential terms2 ,whereas1 in #bjji1 ,president ,morales won reelection to a second term with more than #fj percent of the vote2 ,whereas1 in #bjac1 ,president ,morales' loyalists in ,bolivia's ,legislative ,assembly approved legislation allowing him to run for a third term--a law that ,president ,morales' political allies in the ,bolivian ,constitutional ,tribunal affirmed1 ruling that the two-term limit in the country's new constitution did not apply because ,president ,morales' first term was under the old constitution2 ,whereas1 in #bjac1 ,president ,morales expelled the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development for trying to conspire against ,bolivia2 ,whereas1 in #bjad1 ,president ,morales won his third term as president1 with #fj percent of the vote2 ,whereas1 in #bjaf1 the ,government of ,bolivia called a national referendum to modify the constitution in order to allow for an additional term for ,morales2 ,whereas1 that same year1 more than half of voters in ,bolivia rejected the proposed lifting of presidential term limits that would have allowed ,president ,morales to run for a fourth term and serve at least #ai years in office2 ,whereas1 after the referendum1 the ,morales ,administration increased its troubling rhetoric against opposition media and advanced a narrative suggesting a plot to prevent ,president ,morales from staying in power2 ,whereas1 in #bjag1 ,president ,morales' loyalists on the ,bolivian ,constitutional ,tribunal lifted constitutional term limits arguing that they violated the candidates' human rights1 citing the ,american ,convention of ,human ,rights1 adopted at ,san ,jose ,november #bb1 #aifi1 the main human rights treaty in the ,americas1 as the legal foundation for its decision2 ,whereas the ,convention states that political rights can only be limited under very specific circumstances1 a provision which1 when drafted in #aifi1 was intended to prevent abusive governments from arbitrarily barring opposition candidates and not to impede constitutional reelection limits designed to reduce corruption and abuse of power given ,latin ,america's long history of violent and prolonged dictatorship2 ,whereas the ,bolivian ,constitutional ,tribunal's ruling rendered ,bolivia one of a very small number of countries in the ,western ,hemisphere that does not place limits on presidential reelection2 ,whereas the ,secretary ,general of the ,organization of ,american ,states said the cited clause does not mean the right to perpetual power ''' ,besides1 presidential re-election was rejected by popular will in a referendum in #bjaf42 ,whereas1 in ,march #bjah1 a report commissioned by the ,organization of ,american ,states specifically related to this issue stated that-- 7#a7 ,there is no specific and distinct human right to re-election42 7#b7 ,term limits'''are a reasonable limit to the right to be elected because they prevent an unlimited exercise of power in the hands of the ,president42 and 7#c7 ,the limits on a president's re-election do not therefore unduly restrict his_/her human and political rights42 and ,whereas the ,morales era has seen many social and economic gains1 but also a weakening and undermining of key democratic institutions in order to favor the ruling party3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 supports the important transitions to democracy and the regular peaceful transfers of power through elections that have taken place in the majority of ,latin ,american and ,caribbean countries in recent decades2 7#b7 recognizes the historic significance of ,bolivia's #bjje election2 7#c7 expresses concern for efforts to circumvent presidential term limits in the ,bolivian constitution2 7#d7 supports presidential term limits prevalent in ,latin ,america as reasonable checks against a history of coups1 corruption1 and abuses of power2 7#e7 expresses the belief that the #bjaf referendum vote to maintain presidential term limits reflected the legitimate will of the majority of voters in ,bolivia2 7#f7 agrees with the ,organization of ,american ,states ,secretary ,general's interpretation of the ,american ,convention of ,human ,rights as not applicable to presidential term limits2 7#g7 calls on the ,government of ,bolivia to respect1 and where necessary restore1 the independence of key electoral and governing bodies and administer the ,october #bjai election in adherence with international democratic norms and its own constitutional limits on presidential terms2 and 7#h7 calls on ,latin ,american democracies to continue to uphold democratic norms and standards among members states4 ,april #d1 #bjai,reported without amendment and with an amendment to the preamble