Bolivia leader forms socialist, indigenous cabinet

reuters: Bolivia's first indigenous president, Evo Morales, turned to fellow socialists, Indians, grass-roots activists and women to form his Cabinet on Monday and ordered them to root out corruption and adopt a new leftist economic model.

The 12 men and four women were sworn in by Morales, some pledging allegiance with a raised left fist, others with a hand on their heart, and a few with both gestures. This was Morales' first official act after his inauguration on Sunday.

"I want zero corruption, zero bureaucracy, no more 'come back tomorrow'. People are tired of this," said Morales, wearing the striped sweater that has come to symbolize his informal style.

Morales excluded the technocrats that have traditionally served in the governments of the ruling elite, preferring instead to choose ministers close to grassroots movements.

He chose an Aymara Indian intellectual as his foreign minister, a grass-roots leader to be in charge of water and an energy analyst and journalist to over see the hydrocarbonindustry.

"You must comply with the people's mandate, to democratically change the neo-liberal economic model and resolve structural and social problems," Morales said.

Morales and his Movement to Socialism party won 54 percent of the vote in the December 18 election, the biggest margin of victory since Bolivia's return to democracy in 1982. Read more