I am pretty sure that evo morales was quickly kicked out of there because he wasn't gonna easily let global corporations mine in a "cost efficient" way. so now that he's out is only a matter of time before there's cheaper lithium in the global market.
Maybe it was an attempt at a joke, but considering he’s one of the richest men in the world who has a vested interest in lithium, and considering there was a Bolivian, quasi-US-backed coup just this past year for reasons which at least partially include these lithium deposits, it’s not at all funny to joke about.
The people forced another election, and elected his party MAS (movement towards socialism) more overwhelmingly then they elected Evo Morales in the election last year where he was couped.
On the other hand, MAS intends to exploit its lithium. It just plans to do that in a way that grows a high tech domestic industry instead of just exporting raw product. They also plan to keep the profits local to fund social programs and such, which rubs the neoliberal free market imperialists like American foreign policy goons the wrong way.
