The indigenous leader Evo Morales Ayma, President of Bolivia, will be one of the hopefuls for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. His candidacy was officially brought before the international jury in Norway on December 6th, 2006 by Adolph Perez Esquivel, recipient of the award in 1980. Since the new year, the campaign for support and adherents has been launched.

The proposal, which is now in circulation online, says that Evo’s merit for this award is illustrated by "his unwavering/inclaudicable struggle for the dignity of the indigenous peoples of Bolivia, the Americas and the world; his respect for cultural diversity; his defense of natural resources; his example of honesty, work, sacrifice and simplicity; his defense of the sovereignty and self-determination of peoples; his work in favour of the dispossessed; his ongoing struggles for social justice; his commitment to live in harmony with nature; his work to govern together with the participation and leading role of social movements; his care for the natural environment and ecology; his constant labour for Caribbean and Latin American integration with respect for peace and harmony between nations; his respect for the ancestral indigenous principles of: 'Ama sua, ama llulla, ama quella,' meaning 'do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy'; his merciless fight against corruption which he is undertaking as President of Bolivia; his dedication to peaceful resolution to conflict, which he has demonstrated both as union leader and as President; the democratic, peaceful, humanist, popular, and inclusive path along which he has lead his government in support of national and Latin American unity; his consistent opposition in word and action against ethnic-based revenge and self-administered justice."

Within a few days of lauching the campaign, the supporters registered online at solidaridad@evonobel2007.org already number in the thousands. But the first expression of widespread endorsement by social and indigenous organizations was demonstrated on January 10th in Managua, on the occasion of Morales Ayma’s attendance at the inauguration of Daniel Ortega as President of Nicaragua.

At this time, the leader of Vía Campesina, Honduran Rafael Alegría, said that Evo Morales Ayma is not only fighting unceasingly for the rights of indigenous peoples in Bolivia, but for peoples across the continent and the world. "Millions and millions of people support his candidacy,” he said, adding that throughout the continent “Committees in Support of Evo for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize” will be struck. They will underline that the Government of Bolivia can count on international support because after only one year of being in power it has demonstrated how it governs through concrete actions, such as the Agrarian Revolution and the reclamation of natural resources.

For his part, Father Miguel Descotto, President of the Nicaraguan Chapter of the Network in Defense of Humanity and legendary member of the Sandinista Nacional Liberation Front (FSLN), expressed that as a Latin American he is happy to support the worthy nomination of the President of Bolivia, revealing that "Everyday in my prayers I thank God because the spiritual heir of Tupaj Katari and Bartolina Sisa has arrived in order to bring peace and justice to our peoples."

In his message, the Bolivian leader shared his surprise at the honour, but gave thanks for it as a foot-soldier of the continent's social movements. "The nomination for the Nobel Prize is not for Evo Morales, rather it is a recognition of the indigenous peoples and social movements who have reclaimed natural resources and who are currently struggling to reclaim power.” Immediately afterwards he expressed his gratitude generally to social movements across the continent, while pointing out that his struggle was forged as Coordinator of the Six Federations of the Tropic of Cochabamba, a struggle geared toward the liberation, defence and salvation of humanity. Furthermore, he recalled how previous governments, in defense of their principles, unfurled campaigns – mainly through the media – denouncing him as a " drug trafficker" or "terrorist," for which reason alone he emphasized that to just be considered a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize "is something very great.”