Bolivian Vice
President Carlos Mesa has been sworn in to take over the presidency
after the resignation of Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada following a
deadly popular revolt in South America's poorest nation.
According to
the constitution, Mesa can serve out the rest of Sanchez de
Lozada's term, which was due to end in August 2007.
Mesa, a
journalist and historian, takes over a country known historically
for its violent overthrows of short-lived governments.
But he knows a
lot about the job, having written the book "Presidents of Bolivia:
Between Ballot Boxes and Guns."
Sanchez de
Lozada lasted only 14 months on the job after Mesa and coalition
partners abandoned him for his violent suppression of protests.
Mesa, 50,
jumped into the political arena in mid-2002 as an independent vice
presidential candidate on the Sanchez de Lozada ticket.
Sanchez de
Lozada won only 22% of the vote and the election went to a second
round in Congress, where he won handily after building a
coalition.
Mesa played a
shrewd political card last Monday when he withdrew his support from
Sanchez de Lozada.
By Thursday,
when the death toll had risen to 74, Mesa reiterated his rejection
of Sanchez de Lozada's tactics saying he would "not serve as an
instrument for the polarisation of Bolivian society."
Until he became
vice president, Mesa was an intellectual. Unlike his predecessor,
who was educated in the United States, Mesa graduated in literature
from a La Paz university and dedicated himself to his three
passions - journalism, history and cinema.
His resume on
the vice president's web site is four pages long, brimming with
prizes, jobs and published work.
The new leader
of the Andean nation of eight million has worked as a
newspaper editor, columnist, radio reporter and television news
anchor. He started television interview show "Up Close," one of
Bolivia's most popular programs.
A married
father of two, Mesa has produced some 50 videos on Bolivia's
history, created the Bolivian Film Institute and wrote a dozen
books.
Mesa was
preparing a new edition of "Presidents of Bolivia," first published
in 1983, and said he is determined to write about the Sanchez de
Lozada government.
"It is very
difficult to write about oneself with the proper distance and
dispassion," Mesa told reporters.
©
Reuters
