Through the U.S. strike that eliminated Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, and the recent formation of the 12-nation Shield of the Americas, President Donald Trump has emerged as an inspiration to Latin Americans seeking to move away from a generation of primarily socialist regimes toward governance based on freedom and the free market.
That was the opinion of Bolivia's former President Jeanine Anez, who spoke to Newsmax in Santiago during the inauguration of Chile's new conservative President Jose Antonio Kast.
A lawyer and former TV newscaster, Anez held the presidency of her country in 2019-20 following widespread protests that led to the resignation of socialist President Evo Morales.
A year later, after Morales' Movement for Socialism (MAS) recaptured power, she was sentenced to prison for ten years on charges ranging from treason to genocide. Last year, the Bolivian Supreme Court overturned her conviction and freed Anez.
"So a democratic bloc that defends freedom would be very positive for those of us who believe in democracy," she said of the Trump-crafted Shield of the Americas. "I believe the U.S., especially under Donald Trump, has played an important part."
Some have criticized Trump's Shield of the Americas summit in Doral, Florida, for including only recently elected, right-of-center Latin American leaders—among them Argentina's unabashed libertarian Javier Milei, Bolivia's President Rodrigo Paz, El Salvador's "law and order" President Nayib Bukele, and Honduras's stalwart conservative President Nasry Asfura.
Chile's Kast was at the Florida summit, noted former Clinton Administration official Richard Feinberg of the Stimson Center, who criticized the decision, saying, "Instead of the center-left incumbent, Gabriel Boric, defied diplomatic protocol. It also failed to include the leaders of Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, home to more than half of the region's population."
But none of this bothers Bolivia's Anez, who told Newsmax that "democracy is responsible for change and the political cycles in Latin America are changing."
"People here realize that the socialist experiment of the 21st century brings poverty, destruction, and it divides families," Anez said. "That's what socialism has produced. When we see a major power take an interest in us, many times we feel powerless because of the structure the left has built through its networks and support from countries such as Russia and China. So a democratic bloc that defends freedom would be very positive for those of us who believe in democracy."
Anez added that "many of us throughout Latin America are watching the U.S. president closely."
"Without his leadership, Venezuela might not have had this opportunity [to have a freely-elected government], and we would not be so upward about what is now happening in Cuba," Anez added.
In voicing support for the toppling of Maduro, Anez said "the goal we all hope for has been achieved," but quickly added "we are waiting for the entire country to be free — not only from Maduro but from the entire power of the 21st century socialists. We should look for justice for the people who destroyed the institutions of democracy anywhere."
The Bolivian made no secret of her hope that Maduro opponent and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado becomes president of Venezuela immediately.
In elections last July, Machado was barred from running and retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez was considered an easy winner over Maduro by virtually every democratic nation in the world. Should not Gonzalez now become president? Newsmax asked.
"The votes that Gonzalez received were because of Maria Machado," replied Anez. "The negotiations for change must be led by democratic forces. Personally, I would like the results of those elections recognized immediately, even if new ones are called immediately after that [by the resignation of Gonzalez to trigger an election almost certainly to be won by Machado].
"But what matters most is seeing that country move forward after the regime. And that means getting rid of [Maduro's vice president and acting president] Delcy Rodriguez and all of them — the minions of Maduro."
Regarding her own imprisonment—the first ever for a former president of Bolivia — Anez told Newsmax, "the practices of the socialist regimes everywhere are the same. In our case, Bolivia, we saw the same practices that exist in Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua. They started to intensify. People were imprisoned on politically fabricated cases.
"I was accused of terrorism, genocide, and what they called breach of duties. These accusations were completely unfounded and never happened. I never thought of leaving the country because going into exile would have made an admission that there had been a coup in Bolivia against Evo. At the moment I became president, I simply acted to defend democracy."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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