Delighted by the results in Bolivia. Felicidades Luis Arce and the MAS

I'm also highly amused by all the commentators on my feed who've never even set foot in this continent treating this as a glorious victory over some CIA 'coup'. That'd be a coup... which never was.

Do you know what a coup actually involves? It involves:

NOT ALLOWING FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS

It involves:

TRYING TO RIG THE OUTCOME OF ELECTIONS

The surprise being expressed at Jeanine Áñez having acknowledged Arce's victory is hugely instructive.

She was always going to do that - because these were always going to be free and fair elections.

Again and again, the same thing happens with anything to do with South America on my feed. It is continually infantilised and romanticised (well, the left is, always).

Any figure on the left is treated as infallible, saintly, like Robin Hood. Anything they do that's wrong is airbrushed out of history by people who in practice, couldn't give a stuff about anyone who lives in this continent; and only care about stupid, black and white worldviews.

What happened to Evo Morales was brought on by himself. He held a referendum on whether he could run for a third consecutive term (and fourth in total). He lost that referendum.

He ignored it - and went to a Constitutional Court packed with his cronies.

The Court declared that term limits were "against his human rights". Yes, that's right. Against his human rights.

I'm just wondering how people in Britain would've reacted had the EU referendum, held in the same year as Bolivia's one, been completely ignored.

I'm also just wondering how the American people would react if Trump not only wins this year, but then has term limits abolished because of his "human rights".

But apparently, when a leftist leader does it in South America, it's FINE! No respect for democracy whatsoever.

Evo Morales' government also had 227 candidates banned from elections for utterly spurious, nonsensical reasons. Like releasing an opinion poll. Yes: releasing an opinion poll.

Because obviously, free, fair pluralist governments who respect democracy ban opponents for nothing.

Evo Morales' government was also very, very, VERY dependent on Venezuelan investment and transfers. So when Venezuela got into trouble through the disgraceful incompetence, corruption and demagoguery of its monstrous government, so did Bolivia.

To recap:

- A collapsing economy
- A government which stuffed the Courts to do its bidding
- A President who ignored democratic referendums
- A government which banned political opponents for literally nothing

What a hero! If only the rest of us could be governed in such a way.

Naturally, when the OAS found what it did about last year's elections, that was the final straw. Years of doing what all demagogues do - dividing the country down the middle, treating politics like a war between 'us' and 'them' - finally erupted into furious protests.

And all because Morales - like Chavez, like Maduro - made it a cult about him. Utterly appalling. And then big brave Evo did a runner.

And then, yes, there was violence. And yes, the authorities violently overreacted. Disgusting and indefensible.

Bolivia has since been ravaged by the pandemic, which was hardly going to make voters flock to the right or centre-right: and now, at last, it can move forwards.

My hope is that Arce governs for everyone and governs with pluralism. That he remembers he's a servant of the people.

Far, far too many leaders in this part of the world forget that they're public servants - and instead act like royalty, to whom everyone must bow down in worship.

It's not OK when the right do it. And it's not OK when the left do it either.

More broadly, of course, that's:

Jacinda Ardern

Luis Arce

Fingers crossed Joe Biden can make it a hat trick - and the world can sleep a little more soundly.