Carlos Mesa
343651
225418593
2008-07-13T16:12:41Z
Rjwilmsi
203434
no 'of' between a month and a year per [[Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style_%28dates_and_numbers%29#Longer_periods|MOS]] using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]]
{{Infobox_President | name=Carlos Diego Mesa Gisbert
| nationality=bolivian
| image=Carlos Mesa.jpg
| imagesize=200px
| term_start=[[October 17]], [[2003]]
| term_end=[[June 6]], [[2005]]
| predecessor=[[Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada]]
| successor=[[Eduardo Rodríguez]]
| birth_date={{birth date and age|1953|08|12}}
| birth_place=[[La Paz]], [[Bolivia]]
| dead=alive
| death_date=
| death_place=
| spouse=[[Elvira Salinas de Mesa]]
| party=''no party affiliation''
| order=78th [[President of Bolivia]]
| vicepresident=
}}
'''Carlos Diego Mesa Gisbert''' (born [[August 12]], [[1953]]) is a [[Bolivia]]n politician, historian and [[President of Bolivia|President of]] [[Bolivia]] from [[October 17]], [[2003]] until his resignation on [[June 6]], [[2005]].
Mesa was a popular television journalist and personality, known by many for his rectitude and impartiality but loathed by many others for alleged political opportunism. His widespread name recognition prompted the MNR candidate [[Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada]] to pick him as his running mate in the 2002 Bolivian presidential elections. The winning ticket of Sánchez-Mesa took possession on August 6, 2002. As Vice-President, the apolitical Mesa was quickly caught between the proverbial rock and hard place, as a wave of protests and [[strike action|strikes]] shut down Bolivia in a bitter dispute known as the [[Bolivian Gas War]]. The demonstrations eventually forced Sánchez de Lozada to resign and flee the country, leaving Mesa as President of the Republic.
== Presidency ==
In the short year and a half since assuming office, Mesa found himself also under extreme internal and external political pressures over the use of Bolivia's 1.5 trillion [[cubic meter]]s of [[natural gas]] reserves, estimated to be worth billions of dollars (USD).
After a resurgence of [[2005 Bolivia protests|Gas protests in 2005]], he attempted to resign in January 2005, but his offer was refused by [[Congress of Bolivia|Congress]]. On [[march 22]], [[2005]], after weeks of new street protests from organizations accusing Mesa of bowing to [[United States|U.S.]] corporate interests, Mesa again offered his resignation to Congress, which was accepted on [[June 10]]. The chief justice of the Supreme Court, [[Eduardo Rodríguez]], was sworn as interim president to succeed the outgoing Carlos Mesa.
Carlos Mesa had been Vice-President since [[August 6]], [[2002]]. In that capacity, he was also the head of [[Congress of Bolivia|the Bolivian Congress]].
As noted, Mesa was, prior to entering the political arena, a historian and journalist in [[radio]], [[television]] and [[newspaper]]s. He is a member of the [[Bolivian History Academy]], and co-wrote (along with his parents, themselves noted scholars and professionals) an interesting and relatively exhaustive compendium of Bolivian history since the coming of the Spaniards to the close of the millennium.
Despite his lack of experience in the political arena, Mesa's star rose quickly in the Sánchez de Lozada administration. In September 2003, he was invited to address the [[UN General Assembly]], where he warned:
<blockquote>''Democracy is in danger in Bolivia as the result of legitimate pressures from the poor. We cannot generate economic growth and well-being for a few and then expect that the large majorities that are excluded will watch silently and patiently. We poor countries demand that our products be admitted into the markets of rich countries in adequate conditions.'' [http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031017/API/310171127&cachetime=5]</blockquote>
As the gas conflict escalated, Mesa became increasingly unhappy with the government's heavy-handed suppression of the protests, which left over 80 people dead. He withdrew his support for Sánchez de Lozada several days before the latter's resignation, saying: "I cannot continue to support the situation we are living through." Some speculated that Mesa had personal reasons to adopt this posture, as it opened the way to his succeeding Sánchez de Lozada as president. However, it also placed him at the center of extreme political pressures – from both internal Bolivian and external foreign interests – regarding the use of Bolivia's natural gas reserves. Bolivia's next presidential elections were scheduled for 2007, but Mesa was quick to point out that his administration was transitional and that he did not intend to complete Sánchez de Lozada's term in office.
[[Image:Bolivia.CarlosMesa.01.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Carlos Mesa at the OAS in September 2003]]
Mesa eventually changed his mind and decided to try to finish his constitutional term. results; the referendum posed what were widely perceived to be vague and overly complicated questions. (See: [[Bolivian gas referendum, 2004]].) In addition, in March 2004 he announced that his government would hold a series of rallies around the country, and at its [[embassy|embassies]] abroad, demanding that [[Chile]] return to Bolivia a stretch of seacoast that the country lost in 1884 after the end of the [[War of the Pacific]]. Chile has traditionally refused to negotiate on the issue, but Mesa nonetheless made this policy a central point of his administration.
Following protests, he tended his resignation to [[Congress of Bolivia|Congress]] on [[March 22]], [[2005]]; however, the legislators voted almost unanimously the next day to reject his offer. Still, domestic tensions between the poor and rural eastern highlands and the wealthier cities and oil-rich south continued to rise. Weeks of escalating street demonstrations and widening disorder reached a peak in June 2005, as tens of thousands of protesters marched into [[La Paz]]. Aware of his growing incapacity to control or influence events without resorting to violence, Mesa once more tended his resignation to Congress. This time, Congress accepted his offer. The presidents of the two national legislative chambers at that point abdicated their constitutional powers in favor of the chief justice of the Supreme Court and new president of Bolivia, [[Eduardo Rodríguez]]. He was charged with the duty of swiftly organizing national elections, which led to the massive victory of MAS candidate [[Evo Morales]] in December 2005.
Since the possession of Evo Morales, rumors began to abound about serious efforts being made to bring Carlos Mesa to trial for a number of alleged misdeeds, including responsibility for the deaths of protesters, both under his administration and that of Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada (with whom he served as Vice-President); for economic mismanagement; and even for having mulled a "self-coup" in order to temporarily suspend constitutional rights and bring order to the country with the help of the military. While many of these accusations seem to be mere acts of naked political vendetta (a feature of Bolivian politics practically since the country's creation), something may come of them yet, as animosity toward the Sánchez de Lozada/Mesa administrations appears to be widespread within the current government elites led by President Morales.
==Works==
*''Cine boliviano, del realizador al crítico'' (co-author, 1979)
*''El cine boliviano según Luis Espinal'' (1982)
*"El Vano de la vida incansable" (co-author, 1999)
==External links==
* [http://www.presidencia.gov.bo/ Official web site of the president of Bolivia]
*{{CIDOB|america_del_sur/bolivia/carlos_mesa_gisbert}}
* [http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/06/06/bolivia.ap/index.html Bolivian president plans resignation], [[CNN]], [[6 June]] [[2005]]
* [http://news.ft.com/cms/s/c947977e-d843-11d9-8fa7-00000e2511c8.html Spectre of Civil War for Bolivia] – [[Financial Times]]
* [http://www.dissidentvoice.org/June05/Dangl0608.htm Bolivia on a Tight Rope] – DissidentVoice.org (background information)
*[http://www.aportescriticos.com.ar/es/chroniques.php?id_cv=2 The Carlos Mesa's referendum, 2004] (video, spanish)
==See also==
*[[List of presidents of Bolivia]]
*[[History of Bolivia]]
*[[Politics of Bolivia]]
{{start box}}
{{succession box|title=[[President of Bolivia]]|before=[[Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada]]|after=[[Eduardo Rodríguez]]|years=[[2003]]-[[2005]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[Vice President of Bolivia]]|before=[[Jorge Quiroga]]|after=[[Álvaro García Linera]]|years=[[2002]]-[[2003]]}}
{{end box}}
{{Presidents of Bolivia}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mesa, Carlos}}
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Bolivian historians]]
[[Category:Bolivian politicians|Mesa, Carlos]]
[[Category:People from La Paz (city)]]
[[Category:Presidents of Bolivia]]
[[Category:University of Chile alumni]]
[[Category:Vice Presidents of Bolivia]]
[[ay:Carlos Mesa]]
[[be-x-old:Карляс Мэса]]
[[ca:Carlos Mesa Gisbert]]
[[de:Carlos Mesa]]
[[et:Carlos Mesa]]
[[es:Carlos Mesa]]
[[eo:Carlos Mesa]]
[[fr:Carlos Mesa]]
[[gl:Carlos Mesa]]
[[id:Carlos Mesa]]
[[nl:Carlos Mesa]]
[[ja:カルロス・メサ・ヒスベルト]]
[[no:Carlos Mesa]]
[[pt:Carlos Mesa]]
[[qu:Carlos Mesa]]
[[ru:Меса, Карлос]]
[[fi:Carlos Mesa]]
[[sv:Carlos Mesa]]
[[zh:卡洛斯·梅萨]]