Luis Fernando Camacho

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Luis Fernando Camacho in November 2019

Luis Fernando Camacho Vaca (* 15. February 1979 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra ) is a Bolivian lawyer , entrepreneur , Christian fundamentalist and activist of the political right . He is a confidante of the Bolivian-Croatian oligarch Branko Marinkovic and became internationally known for his appearance in the course of the controversial presidential election in Bolivia in 2019 and the subsequent resignation of President Evo Morales .

Career

Camacho is the son of a paramilitary who sided with the military coup in Bolivia in the 1980s. He came from a wealthy business family, the long benefited from the exploitation of the rich natural gas reserves of Bolivia and Santa Cruz part of a natural gas - the cartel was formed. His father, José Luis Camacho Miserendino, was the owner of the company SERGAS, which had a monopoly on the distribution of gas in Santa Cruz and in the big cities of Montero and Warnes for over 20 years . His uncle Enrique Camacho controlled SOCRE and his cousin Cristian Camacho controlled CONTROGAS. His family lost part of their fortune when President Evo Morales nationalized the exploitation of the country's natural resources to fund his extensive social programs - which reduced poverty by 42% and extreme poverty by 60%.

Camacho became head of Unión Juvenil Cruceñista (UJC), an openly neo-fascist and separatist organization that is considered a paramilitary association , in 2002 when he was 23 years old . The UJC has been linked to the attacks on Evo Morales and is notorious for physical attacks on leftists, indigenous farmers and journalists and adheres to a racist and homophobic ideology. The symbol of the UJC is a green cross that bears strong resemblances to logos of historical fascist movements; its members are known to use the National Socialist "Sieg-Heil" greeting.

In 2004 he left the UJC to expand his family's business empire and join the ranks of the Pro-Santa Cruz Committee, of which he was elected chairman, a civic association made up of influential entrepreneurs and other groups. In the “Pro-Santa Cruz Committee” he became the political protégé and confidante of one of the most important leaders in the Bolivian separatist movement, the Bolivian-Croatian oligarch Branko Marinkovic . Marinkovic fled Bolivia to avoid lawsuits for sedition and separatism. In 2008 the Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l'Homme condemned the “Pro-Santa Cruz Committee” in an open letter as “an actor and promoter of racism and violence in Bolivia”.

In May 2019, Camacho met with the right-wing conservative Colombian President Iván Duque . Camacho helped support regional efforts to undermine the legitimacy of Morales' presidency at the OAS Inter-American Court of Human Rights and attempted to block his candidacy for the October presidential election. That same month, Camacho also met with Ernesto Araújo , Brazilian Foreign Minister of the far-right government of Jair Bolsonaro, and secured Bolsonaro's support for regime change in Bolivia.

During the protests following the controversial re-election of Morales, he quickly rose to become the leader of the anti-Morales camp. He concentrated less on the political opposition to Morales, but on his Catholic faith and the desire to reunite Bolivia against the rule of Morales, which he regarded as tyranny. Camacho demanded in his speeches that Bolivia must be freed from “witchcraft” and “Satan”. He is said to always travel with the Bible and a rosary . His political positions are strongly Christian fundamentalist and he is an admirer of the Virgin of Fatima . The Roman Catholic Apostolic Hierarchy supported Camacho as well as other lay people among the militant opponents of Morales. Camacho's followers burned Wiphala flags, symbolizing the indigenous people of the country and the plurinational vision of Morales.

Camacho is also known as Bolivia's Bolsonaro because of its political program .

On November 10th, after Morales had called for new elections and initially the police mutinied, finally the military refused his allegiance and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Williams Kaliman, called on him to resign, Camacho entered the government seat of Palacio Quemado , which was held by the police was guarding. He put a Bible on top of the national flag and knelt down in a prayer of thanks. The pastor accompanying him declared: "The Bible has returned to the palace! Pachamama will never return". At Camacho's instructions, armed and masked thugs who had mingled with the mutinous police set fire to houses, kidnapped people and tied a television director to a tree.

After the interim president Jeanine Áñez had scheduled new elections, Camacho was traded as a possible candidate, although he had promised not to seek it. When Áñez set up the interim cabinet on November 13, 2019, Camacho's personal confidants were: Jerjes Justiniano, Camacho's personal lawyer, became "Ministro de la Presidencia" (Minister of the Presidency) and Arturo Murillo became Minister of the Interior (officially "Minister of Government").

At the end of November 2019, Camacho announced his candidacy for the presidency. At the beginning of December 2019, Camacho awarded Fernando del Rincón, a journalist for the US television broadcaster CNN , the “Potenzada Cross” medal of the “Pro-Santa Cruz Committee” for his benevolent reporting on the change of government.

Panama Papers

Notwithstanding the protection from the Catholic Church and the private sector that Camacho enjoyed, the Legislative Commission investigated his role in the Panama Papers scandal in the last summer months of 2019 . The Legislative Commission revealed that Camacho had established three companies as "intermediaries": " Medis Overseas Corp. ", " Navi International Holding " and " Positive Real Estate ". Camacho has been identified as the one who helped companies and individuals move monetary values ​​offshore, devise tax evasion constructs , and launder money to disguise wealth .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Mesa, rival electoral de Evo Morales, alternativa a la ultraderecha boliviana , La Vanguardia, November 16, 2019
  2. ↑ a b c d Loud, believing in God and very right: Bolivia has its own Bolsonaro. November 15, 2019, accessed November 21, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Bolivia's indigenous people: "We will continue to fight racism"
  4. ↑ New elections in Bolivia in March 2020, ultra-right wing wants to inherit Evo Morales , December 3, 2019
  5. ↑ a b Bolivia coup led by Christian fascist paramilitary leader and millionaire - with foreign support
  6. ↑ a b Golpismo en Bolivia: ¿quién es Luis Fernando Camacho?
  7. ↑ CAMACHO PROMUEVE EL PARO PARA VOLVER A ADUEÑARSE DEL NEGOCIO DEL GAS EN SANTA CRUZ
  8. ↑ a b c Curiosa exposición de católicos en la caída de Evo Morales
  9. ^ New Report Reviews Changes in Bolivia's Economy under Evo Morales's Presidency
  10. ↑ a b c Christoph Gurk: Luis Fernando Camacho. Retrieved November 21, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Christoph Gurk: With the Bible under his arm . In: Tages-Anzeiger . November 12, 2019, ISSN  1422-9994 ( tagesanzeiger.ch [accessed November 21, 2019]).
  12. ↑ Revelan que Camacho se transporta en vehículo de Marinkovic en La Paz , Éxito Noticias, November 7, 2019
  13. ↑ El racismo de Branko Marinkovic es emulado por Luis Fernando Camacho , October 30, 2019
  14. ↑ El Comité Cívico pro Santa Cruz, actor y promoter de la violencia y del racismo en Bolivia
  15. ↑ Cívico cruceño se reúne con presidente Duque y le pide consultar a la CorteIDH sobre la repostulación
  16. ↑ Golpista boliviano que se reuniu com Ernesto Araújo manda prender Evo Morales
  17. ↑ Bolivia - The coup and the involvement of the Bolsonaro regime as “representative” of the USA
  18. ↑ a b Bolivia's Evo Morales Was Brought Down With the Help of an Obscure Conservative With a Bible. Retrieved November 21, 2019 .
  19. ↑ “Satanás, ¡fuera de Bolivia! ¡Ahora! "
  20. ↑ Flag burning causes unrest , November 13, 2019
  21. ↑ "Nunca más volverá la Pachamama al palacio de gobierno", sentencia aliado del líder cívico Camacho
  22. ↑ Frederico Füllgraf: After the coup d'état, the exile of Evo Morales and the self- appointment of the new interim president, resistance against right-wing extremist terror rises, November 13, 2019
  23. ^ The Anti-Morales Cabinet , November 14, 2019
  24. ↑ Bolivia president's initial indigenous-free cabinet heightens polarization , November 14, 2019
  25. ↑ Luis Fernando Camacho será candidato a la presidencia de Bolivia
  26. ↑ Fernando del Rincón es condecorado por su papel durante el golpe en Bolivia , December 9, 2019
  27. ↑ Ultraderecha en Bolivia premia al periodista de CNN, Fernando del Rincón por su labor «informativa» , 7 December 2019
  28. ↑ LUIS FERNANDO CAMACHO VACA | ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database .
  29. ↑ Entre la Biblia y los Panamá Papers, what Luis Fernando Camacho said: ¿un "Bolsonaro" for Bolivia? | Rosario3.com | Noticias de Rosario, toda la información al instante, con deporte y entretenimiento ( es )
personal data
SURNAME Camacho, Luis Fernando
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Camacho Vaca, Luis Fernando (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bolivian activist
DATE OF BIRTH 15th February 1979
PLACE OF BIRTH Santa Cruz de la Sierra