Aymara Indian Evo Morales was inaugurated as President of Bolivia
today, making him that country's first-ever indigenous president.
Mr Morales won 54% of the popular vote in elections in December 2005.
'I wish to tell you, my Indian brothers, that the 500-year indigenous
and popular campaign of resistance has not been in vain,' he told
supporters.
Mr Morales' official inauguration came a day after traditional
ceremonies at the ancient Incan site of Tiwanacu where, barefoot and
dressed in a red tunic, Mr Morales said, 'Today begins a new era for
the native peoples of the world.'
Mr Morales' victory is the latest sign of Indians' increasing
visibility in public life across Latin America since the 1970s, as the
indigenous movement has gained in strength.
