Morales: más nacionalizaciones

Evo Morales escogió el 1ro de mayo como fecha simbólica para anunciar la medida.

The Bolivian president, Evo Morales, has taken steps to increase state control of the economy by ordering foreign energy and telecommunications companies to give control to the government.

This report is from Paul Keller:

 Listen to the story

Evo Morales came to power promising to nationalise the country's energy industry and redistribute wealth to Bolivia's poor indigenous majority. Exactly two years on from his decision to place the country's rich natural gas fields back under state control - and it's clear the project has some way to go.

Bolivia is buying controlling stakes in four energy companies - one in an agreement with the Spanish oil company, Repsol, and the others through state decrees.

Mr Morales is also re-nationalising the national telephone company, which was sold to the Italian firm, Telecom Italia, more than a decade ago. The Bolivian leader has accused the Italian firm of failing to honour a deal to invest more than six hundred million dollars in the national telephone system.

Paul Keller, BBC

 Listen to the words

came to power
llegó al poder

to nationalise
nacionalizar

redistribute wealth
redistribuir la riqueza

indigenous majority
(distribuir la riqueza a la) mayoría indígena

two years on
dos años después

has some way to go
todavía falta mucho por hacer

controlling stakes
(Bolivia está comprando) una participación mayoritaria

through state decrees
por medio de un decreto estatal

a decade
una década

failing to honour a deal
de no haber cumplido el acuerdo

Read more about this story