Bolivia Passes Land Reform

Good news from Bolivia. One of the cornerstones of Evo Morales' radical agenda, the reclamation of 77,000 square miles of unused land deemed unproductive or illegal and it's subsequent redistribution amongst the poor.

At first it looked likely that Morales was going to be stopped in his tracks by the Senate (controlled by the opposition). They had refused to give their seal of approval for the redistribution and boycotted the Senate in protest. However, after a major rally comprising of 3,000 indigenous peasants, three senators decided to change allegiance. This provided the support that Morales required to push through his reforms.

Of course, unsurprisingly, the rich landowners have been stamping their feet and refusing to accept this policy. They have vowed to fight the redistribution. Never mind that the land is unproductive, or illegal, they just wish to stamp on this power shift before they 'suffer' any further. Now the landowners are scared, the power is no longer in their hands. The people are taking back what is rightfully theirs. As Morales himself said:

"This is the struggle of our ancestors, the struggle for power and territory. Now, the change is in our hands."