The Workers' Socialist Movement (, abbreviated MST), known for many years as the Workers' Socialist Party (''Partido Socialista de los Trabajadores'', abbreviated PST), is a

Trotskyist Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

. PST/MST was affiliated to LIT-CI for a long period.''Correo Internacional''.
Lora-Solón: Polémica clave en Bolivia
'PRT-Izquierda Revolucionaria.
BOLIVIA: LA REVOLUCIÓN INCESANTE
'

Origins

PST emerged from a Morenoist fraction of the Socialist Party-1 of

Marcelo Quiroga Santa Cruz Marcelo Quiroga Santa Cruz (13 March 1931 – 17 July 1980) was a noted writer, dramatist, journalist, social commentator, university professor, and socialist political leader from Bolivia. In 1964 Marcelo won the ''PEN/Faulkner Award for Ficti ...

in the late 1970s. Quiroga Santa Cruz had developed contacts with Trotskyists during his exile in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, and invited Trotskyists to join his party. The PST was established, and legally recognized, as the Workers' Socialist Organization (''Organización Socialista de los Trabajadores'', OST) in 1980. The organization published ''El Chasqui'' (later renamed ''Chasqui Socialista''). Alexander, Robert J.
International Trotskyism, 1929-1985: A Documented Analysis of the Movement
'. Durham: Duke University Press, 1991. p. 130 Moreno, Nahuel.
Intervenciones en el Comité Ejecutivo de la LIT-CI -11 de mayo 1985
'

1980s

In 1984 the PST had several delegates present at the sixth congress of

Central Obrera Boliviana The Bolivian Workers' Center (, COB) is the chief trade union federation in Bolivia. It represents groups such as industry workers, miners, peasants and professionals, its main objective is "achieving the emancipation of workers in Bolivia, in the ...

(COB), including factory workers from

La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...

and teachers from

Oruro Oruro (Hispanicized spelling) or Uru Uru is a city in Bolivia with a population of 264,683 (2012 calculation), about halfway between La Paz and Sucre in the Altiplano, approximately above sea level. It is Bolivia's fifth-largest city by populat ...

. PST held a party congress in the beginning of 1985, with 380 delegates. Alexander, Robert J.
International Trotskyism, 1929-1985: A Documented Analysis of the Movement
'. Durham: Duke University Press, 1991. p. 131 When COB launched a

general strike A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...

in March 1985, which was to last for 20 days, PST raised the slogan "All power to COB!".

Later developments

MST appealed for blank votes in the 2010 local and regional elections.

Leadership

Pablo Solón Romero Pablo Solón Romero served as Ambassador of the Plurinational State of Bolivia to the United Nations from February 2009 to July 2011. He is the son of the famous Bolivian muralist Walter Solón Romero Gonzáles. He served as the executive direct ...

was the main leader of PST during the 1980s. Other members of the party Executive Committee in the early 1980s were Amalia Pando Vega, Hernán Vilela Diez de Medina, Jaime Vilela Gutiérrez and Jorge de la Zerda Gueti. Whilst Solón (later the Ambassador of Bolivia to the United Nations) is no longer affiliated with the organization, Jaime Vilela Gutiérrez remains in the leadership of MST.

Youth wing

MST has a youth wing, Socialist Youth (''Juventud Socialista'').UIT-CI.
Pronunciamientos reclamando investigación y castigo por el asesinato de dirigentes obreros clasistas Richard Gallardo, Luis Hernández y Carlos Requena, en Aragua Venezuela
'

References

External links

MST website
{{Bolivian political parties Communist parties in Bolivia Far-left politics in Bolivia Political parties in Bolivia Political parties with year of establishment missing Trotskyist organisations in Bolivia Trotskyist parties