President Evo Morales’ Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) last week celebrated its 18th anniversary in the eastern opposition “Media Luna” region of Santa Cruz. The event was significant for various reasons. It illustrates Santa Cruz’s growing importance politically; last year’s national census – the first in 11 years - revealed Santa Cruz is now Bolivia’s most populated region, overtaking La Paz. As a result it has attracted growing interest from political parties given likely changes to legislative representation. The MAS’s choice of Santa Cruz was also a sign of the times; the region was previously a bastion of opposition to Morales – who was on occasion declared persona non grata – where racial tensions between “cambas” (mestizo Cruceños) and “collas” (the Andean indigenous) were particularly pronounced.End of preview - This article contains approximately 1483 words.
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