Bolivian gas referendum, 2004

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A referendum on natural gas reserves was held in Bolivia on 18 July 2004. [1] Voters were asked five questions on the government's policy on natural gas, with all five approved. [2]

Natural gas fossil fuel

Natural gas is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, but commonly including varying amounts of other higher alkanes, and sometimes a small percentage of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, or helium. It is formed when layers of decomposing plant and animal matter are exposed to intense heat and pressure under the surface of the Earth over millions of years. The energy that the plants originally obtained from the sun is stored in the form of chemical bonds in the gas.

Bolivia country in South America

Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia is a landlocked country located in western-central South America. The capital is Sucre while the seat of government and financial center is located in La Paz. The largest city and principal industrial center is Santa Cruz de la Sierra, located on the Llanos Orientales a mostly flat region in the east of Bolivia.

Contents

Background

Holding a referendum on the use of the country's gas reserves was one of the first promises made by President Carlos Mesa upon assuming the presidency in the aftermath of the Bolivian Gas War of October 2003 that saw his predecessor, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, forced to resign and to flee the country.

Carlos Mesa Bolivian politician

Carlos Diego Mesa Gisbert is a Bolivian historian and former politician. He was vice president of Bolivia from August 2002 to October 2003 and then became president, holding office from October 17, 2003 until his resignation on June 6, 2005. Mesa previously had been a television journalist. His widespread recognition prompted the MNR candidate Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada to pick him as running mate in the 2002 Bolivian presidential elections. The winning ticket of Sánchez-Mesa took possession on August 6, 2002. As vice president, Mesa quickly was put into a difficult situation when a wave of protests and strikes shut down Bolivia in a bitter dispute known as the Bolivian Gas War. The demonstrations eventually forced Sánchez de Lozada to resign, leaving Mesa as president.

Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada President of Bolivia

Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada y Sánchez de Bustamante, familiarly known as "Goni", is a Bolivian politician and businessman, who served as President of Bolivia for two non-consecutive terms. He is a lifelong member of the Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario (MNR). As Minister of Planning in the government of President Víctor Paz Estenssoro, Sánchez de Lozada used "shock therapy" in 1985 to cut hyperinflation from an estimated 25,000% to a single digit within a period of less than 6 weeks.

The referendum was largely intended to quell the political unrest seen during the Gas War. Fears of an uprising led the Bolivian government to take measures essentially forcing the population to vote (announcing fines and other penalties for those who refused or boycotted) and warned that protesters against the referendum would be imprisoned.

Fine (penalty) financial penalty

A fine or mulct is money that a court of law or other authority decides has to be paid as punishment for a crime or other offence. The amount of a fine can be determined case by case, but it is often announced in advance.

Prison place in which people legally are physically confined and usually deprived of a range of personal freedoms

A prison, also known as a correctional facility, jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, remand center, or internment facility is a facility in which inmates are forcibly confined and denied a variety of freedoms under the authority of the state. Prisons are most commonly used within a criminal justice system: people charged with crimes may be imprisoned until their trial; those pleading or being found guilty of crimes at trial may be sentenced to a specified period of imprisonment.

Results

Do you agree that the Hydrocarbons Law (No. 1689), enacted by Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, should be repealed?

ChoiceVotes%
For1,788,69486.6
Against275,74213.4
Invalid/blank votes614,082
Total2,678,518100
Registered voters/turnout4,458,29360.1
Source: Nohlen

Do you agree that the Bolivian State should recover ownership over all hydrocarbons at the wellhead?

ChoiceVotes%
For1,913,64292.2
Against162,1307.8
Invalid/blank votes594,359
Total2,678,518100
Registered voters/turnout4,458,29360.1
Source: Nohlen

Do you agree that Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos should be re-established, reclaiming state ownership of the Bolivian people's stakes in the part-privatized oil companies, so that it can take part in all stages of the hydrocarbon production chain?

YPFB

Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) is a Bolivian state-owned enterprise dedicated to the exploration, exploitation, refining, industrialization, distribution and commercialization of oil, natural gas and derived products. It was created on December 21, 1936 under a government decree during the presidency of David Toro. YPFB is one of the biggest corporations in Bolivia.

ChoiceVotes%
For1,793,59487.3
Against260,61012.7
Invalid/blank votes616,079
Total2,678,518100
Registered voters/turnout4,458,29360.1
Source: Nohlen

Do you agree with President Carlos Mesa's policy of using gas as a strategic recourse to achieve a sovereign and viable route of access to the Pacific Ocean?

Pacific Ocean Ocean between Asia and Australia in the west, the Americas in the east and Antarctica or the Southern Ocean in the south.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south and is bounded by Asia and Australia in the west and the Americas in the east.

ChoiceVotes%
For1,055,52954.8
Against870,77245.2
Invalid/blank votes743,805
Total2,678,518100
Registered voters/turnout4,458,29360.1
Source: Nohlen

Do you or do you not agree that Bolivia should export gas as part of a national policy framework that ensures the gas needs of Bolivians; encourages the industrialization of gas in the nation's territory; levies taxes and/or royalties of up to 50% of the production value of oil and gas on oil companies, for the nation's benefit; and earmarks revenues from the export and industrialization of gas mainly for education, health, roads, and jobs?

ChoiceVotes%
For1,179,89361.7
Against731,02138.3
Invalid/blank votes758,353
Total2,678,518100
Registered voters/turnout4,458,29360.1
Source: Nohlen

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References

  1. Nohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II, p133 ISBN   978-0-19-928358-3
  2. Nohlen, pp140–141