Bolivia’s President to Remain in Office

Bolivian President Carlos Mesa decided Thursday to remain in office despite speculation that he might quit, saying street protests against his rule had eased enough to allow him to govern.

“I’m not going to run away from my responsibilities,” Mesa said in a televised address after keeping Bolivia in suspense about his future for the second time in two weeks.

He decided to continue after a long night of meetings with Cabinet, military and church officials.

Earlier this week, Mesa asked Congress to bring the presidential election forward by two years to August. He has been frustrated with widespread demonstrations and highway blockades against his economic policies.

On Thursday, the Bolivian Congress rejected his request for early elections, calling it unconstitutional. After the vote, some legislators said Mesa would rather resign than serve out his term until 2007.

The still-popular president said he was encouraged after protesters recently took down many of the blockades that had stranded thousands of trucks on jungle roads and caused food shortages in major cities.

“We have to build on this progress and not let the opportunity escape us,” Mesa said.

The leader had already threatened to quit last week, then changed his mind after Congress voiced its support.

A broad-based rights movement among Bolivia’s impoverished indigenous majority has made politics in South America’s poorest country highly unstable.

Protests have centered on Mesa’s plans to open Bolivia’s energy sector to more foreign investment. They have become a vehicle for a wide range of grievances, including anti-U.S. sentiment and racial tensions between Indians and the European-descended elite.

The former historian came to power in October 2003, when his predecessor, Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, fled the country during a similar Indian revolt, in which dozens were killed.