Former Bolivian presidents face each other on the eve of 40 years of democratic life in the country

First modification: 10/10/2022 – 05:29

It all started with a tweet by former President Carlos Mesa (2003 – 2005) in which he stated that the former head of state, Evo Morales (2006 – 2019) committed a “monumental fraud” because he was going to lose against him in a supposed electoral round.

Later he stated that his words were proven by the OAS report, endorsed by the United States and the European Union.

“Then he cowardly fled,” continued Mesa, “to promote a civil war in Bolivia from his hiding place. One day he will have no protection and will answer to the law”, he concluded.

When asked about Mesa’s pronouncement, Morales stressed that “reading Mesa makes him laugh,” referring to him as a “coup” writer who is affected by his 69 years.

At another time, the coca grower leader stated that “when he talks about cowards we can see what he said when he was president,” alluding to Carlos Mesa’s response to the protests that were generated against him, before which he also made the decision to resign. .

Morales had already responded to his counterpart on Twitter. In the reply, he accused Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States, of being an accomplice in what he called a coup against him.

Among other things, Evo Morales accused Carlos Mesa of refusing to nationalize hydrocarbons “for fear of the transnationals.”

This Sunday Carlos Mesa, a career historian, published a list in which, in his opinion, they had left an important mark in these 40 years of democracy in the South American nation. In the registry he described Evo as an “authoritarian ruler, in love with power.”

As the culmination of the confrontation, the tweet of former president Jeanine Áñez was taken, who published the Mesa document with what, in her opinion, was the “greatest adversity of her presidency.”

“The greatest misfortune of my constitutional presidency was the disunity of politicians. Union I asked and I ask: Unity like the Bolivian people who took to the streets in the face of fraud. I pacified the country, I called for elections and I continue to give my life for democracy,” he wrote.

Áñez, detained since last year due to the 2019 crisis, must serve a ten-year prison sentence for “resolutions against the Constitution” and “breach of duties”.

The origin of the 2019 crisis

In the counting of the votes in October 2019, everything seemed to indicate that there was going to be a second round between Morales and Mesa. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal suspended the quick count with more than 80% of the votes counted.

A day after the suspension, the calculation was reactivated with more than 90% progress and with Evo Morales leading the elections to triumph in the first round. The opposition described what happened as “fraud”.

Morales, despite maintaining his argument that he had won the elections, allowed the OAS to carry out an audit of the scrutiny. It determined the improbability of the victory of the Movement for Socialism (MAS), among other irregularities.

Despite calling for new elections, the investigation had already had an effect. With the security forces against him and recommending that he leave power, Evo Morales resigned.

With EFE and local media