La Paz, Feb 5 (EFE).- Former Bolivian President Evo Morales (2006-2019) announced on Wednesday that he would run in the Aug. 17 presidential elections with a “borrowed” party, after being expelled from the Movement for Socialism (Movimiento al Socialismo, MAS) and despite court rulings that bar him from running for a fourth presidential term.
“Imagine what would happen if they don’t allow (me) to register (as a candidate)? We will invite the international community to come and force them to respect national norms (because) we are authorized (to run),” he stressed.
A fourth presidential term for Evo Morales
Morales and his supporters claim he has the right to run for president again, despite a 2023 constitutional ruling that says re-election in Bolivia is “one time only,” and Morales has already led Bolivia three times (2006-2009, 2010-2014, and 2015-2019).
Court rulings in 2013 and 2017 allowed him to run for a third and fourth time, but in 2019, after declaring he had won the election, he was forced to resign and go into exile in Argentina after allegations of fraud led to massive protests against him.
President Luis Arce ran for Morales’ party in the 2020 elections and allowed him to come back to Bolivia, but the two leaders became estranged in late 2021 and have been fighting for control of the ruling MAS party ever since.
A “borrowed” party
Evo Morales lost the leadership of the MAS after nearly three decades at the helm due to a constitutional ruling in November that recognized leader Grover García, who is close to Arce, as the party’s new president.
Morales announced Wednesday a political alliance that will allow him to run in the next national elections with a “borrowed” party to be announced Friday.
The politician shared some key points of his government proposal, such as incentives for private investment, tax reform and the implementation of social programs, and the elimination of fuel subsidies.
“If the elections were tomorrow, we would win with more than 60%,” he declared.
Morales has remained in his political stronghold in the Tropic of Cochabamba region since October to avoid an arrest warrant that he and his supporters say is “political persecution” by Arce’s government.
Authorities are investigating the ex-governor for statutory rape and aggravated human trafficking for an alleged sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl that resulted in her becoming pregnant in 2016 – when he was 57 years old and Bolivia’s president -. They also accuse him of offering political favors to the girl’s parents in exchange for gaining access to her.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal announced that the deadline for the registration of alliances and parties is Apr. 18, while the registration of candidacies is scheduled for early May. EFE
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