Welcome to our blog, and to the Bolivian recall referendum

We are called Colectivo Rimarikuna, and we are a working group on nonviolence and the prevention of violence in social conflicts. We will be observing and reporting on what happens on the street tomorrow in Cochabamba as Bolivians go to the polls to decide whether the president, vice president, and 8 of the 9 regional prefects will continue in office. We think the likelihood of violence is actually higher Monday, Tuesday, or in the coming weeks, particularly in Cochabamba, where the prefect, Manfred Reyes Villa, is running weak in the polls and has said he does not recognize the referendum and will not leave office if voted out. But as a first action of its kind for our group, and just in case there are clashes tomorrow, we will be at some of the polling stations and in some of the neighborhoods we have determined the risk of violence to be highest.

For more general updates on the referendum, the Democracy Center will be live-blogging throughout the day as well, with reports coming in from around the country.

Our blog in Spanish is here.