By James Moules

The noughties were a period of intense optimism for the Latin American left.

The pink tide washed over the continent with phenomenal force, taking Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, Chile and Bolivia into a leftist direction.

Many of their leaders challenged the neoliberal hegemony of the era. They said ‘NO’ to US imperialism.

But one left wing leader after another is falling.

Evo Morales took power in Bolivia in 2006 as the continent’s left wing wave flourished – Chavez, Lula and de Kirchner were all going strong.

More than a decade later, Morales still topped Bolivia’s polls in the presidential election last month.

It followed a controversial move to remove the presidential two-term limit by Bolivia’s highest court, despite the idea being rejected in a 2016 referendum.

Protests and military pressure have forced Morales’ hand.

He has labelled this a coup – it wouldn’t be the first time right-wing forces have overthrown a democratically elected leftist in Latin America.

Tomorrow Redaction will publish an exclusive analysis of the situation from a regional expert.