The former leftist president Evo Morales This Sunday he became the first candidate for the presidency of Bolivia for the 2025 elections, in the midst of a growing confrontation with the government of his political heir, Luis Arce.
“We have decided to accept the requests of our militancy and of so many sisters and brothers […] to be a candidate for the presidency of our beloved “Bolivia”, Morales stated on his social networks.
The 63-year-old former ruler (2006-2019) said he is taking the measure “forced by government attacks”whom he accuses of attacking “physically” against his life.
Morales is the first Bolivian politician to announce his intention to run for the country’s presidency for the October 2025 elections.
“I’m going to give everything I can. We still have strength. Let’s face it with truth, dignity and honesty”he added.
The Aymara president officially began his campaign for a fourth term. His first three were between 2006 and 2019.
In 2019 he resigned, after a new attempt to retain the presidency, but a popular revolt broke out in October of that year, when he was accused of having won the elections fraudulently, an unproven accusation.
Morales first went into exile to Mexico and later to Argentina, from where he campaigned for his party, the Movement towards Socialism (MAS), led by Arce, to win the 2020 elections.
Internal fights
While Morales has already put on the candidate’s overalls, the MAS plans to hold a congress next week to form a board that will organize, for next December or January, primaries to elect the candidates for presidency and vice presidency.
Morales and the leadership of the party maintain constant exchanges of statements with President Arce’s ministers, although he has stayed away from the disputes.
In recent months, the former president accused the Ministers of Government (Interior), Eduardo del Castillo, and Justice, Iván Lima, of leading political actions against him and of trying to involve him in corruption cases.
In his recent statement he added the Minister of the Presidency María Nela Prada, Arce’s right arm, to the list of opponents.
The internal fight in the ruling party has as a backdrop who will finally be the candidate for the MAS: either Morales or Arce. The president, in power since November 2020, said that the issue of his re-election is not on the agenda yet.
In Bolivia, it is being discussed whether or not Morales is qualified to be a candidate again.
The Magna Carta says that the presidential term is five years and that there can be re-election only once on a continuous basis.
Minister Lima indicated that the Constitutional Court must decide if there can only be a single re-election or, as Morales interprets, a former head of state is allowed a new candidacy if at least one presidential term elapses.
The government has not commented on Morales’ decision.
On Saturday, the statement by Public Works Minister Edgar Montaño, a former Morales ally, for whom the former president’s entourage is moved by “lust for power.”
“Many of those who have always been in power now surround comrade Evo and they are surely bringing him lying, misleading information,” he assured.
“You have to stay away from those people, because otherwise you will be taking our political instrument to the grave,” the MAS, Montaño asked Morales.
Among Morales’ closest collaborators are the former Ministers of Government, Carlos Romero, and of the Presidency, Juan Ramón Quintana.
Source: AFP
Source: Gestion
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