Main Changes In Bolivia`s Proposed Constitution

Here are the key parts of the proposed constitution:

Bolivians voted on Sunday for a new constitution for the impoverished South American country.

Leftist President Evo Morales, who took office in 2006, has pushed for changes to the constitution to let him run for a second consecutive term and give Bolivia's indigenous majority more political leverage. Opposition politicians fear it could give Morales too much power.

Here are the key parts of the proposed constitution:

RE-ELECTION - The constitution would allow Morales to run for a five-year term in 2009, but prohibit him from running again in 2014. That was a setback for the ruling party, which wanted to allow him to run for two additional terms. If the charter is approved, elections will be held in Dec. 2009. But if it is not, Morales will remain in office until 2011 and will not be allowed to run for a consecutive term.

NATIONALIZATIONS - The proposed constitution calls for the state to exercise control over key economic sectors and declares state sovereignty over Bolivia's vast natural gas deposits. Morales nationalized the natural gas industry in 2006.

JUDICIARY - If the changes are approved, members of the Supreme Court will be elected in a national vote instead of by lawmakers. The proposed charter also calls for Indian groups to have representatives in the Constitutional Court and would allow indigenous communities to judge suspects and mete out punishment according to their customs.

INDIGENOUS REPRESENTATION - The new charter would keep a bicameral Congress but change its name to a Multicultural Assembly with a larger Senate, and bigger representation of Indian groups.

LAND - In addition to voting yes or no on the constitution, Bolivians will be asked whether they want private land holdings to be capped at 12,355 acres (5,000 hectares) or 24,710 acres (10,000 hectares). But in a concession to big ranchers in the country's eastern lowlands, the new measures will not be retroactive and will only apply to future sales, meaning that large farms will not be broken up.

AUTONOMY - The new charter would give more autonomy to Bolivia's nine regions, allowing governors to set up regional legislative assemblies. It gives governors more power within their regions, but says that only the central government can set foreign, fiscal, energy and security policies.

RELIGION - The new constitution guarantees freedom of religion in a country where much of the Indian population follows traditional beliefs, whereas the current charter "recognizes and supports" the Roman Catholic religion.