Mesa's middle ground
Five answers, but the future of the energy sector is still in question
IN A referendum on July 18th, more Bolivian voters answered yes than no to five convoluted questions which, taken together, empower the government to exert greater control over the export and sale of the country's vast oil and gas wealth. Since this falls short of returning the industry to state ownership, the vote is being seen as something of a victory for foreign investors and a defeat for those who want to reverse the privatisation of the oil and gas industry, which took place in the 1990s.
This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Mesa's middle ground”
From the July 24th 2004 edition
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