Former Bolivian President Evo Morales claimed he escaped unharmed in an alleged assassination attempt on Sunday when hooded gunmen shot several times at his car while he was on his way to a radio show.
Morales accused President Luis Arce of the attack, although the government said it suspected it was a “self-attack.”
The incident takes place after 13 days of roadblocks by Morales supporters who reject a court order for the former president to answer for criminal accusations.
Morales reported on his regular Sunday program that the hooded men sought to ambush him and fired at least 14 shots without causing any wounds. His relatives circulated images of the cars with bullet holes in the windshield, the bodywork and one of the drivers bleeding from a wound. He said helicopters also flew overhead.
Morales blamed his political heir and successor, President Arce, for allegedly ordering the alleged attack to eliminate him.
“Lucho Arce is going to become the worst president in history, shooting a former president is already the last straw,” he said from the Chapare region, in the center of the Andean nation, where he has been sheltered for two weeks when he He learned of an order from the prosecutor’s office to arrest him after refusing to testify regarding accusations of alleged abuse of a minor when he was president of the country. Coca grower leaders carry out vigils to protect it.
In response, the Vice Minister of Citizen Security, Roberto Ríos, said a little later in statements to the press that the “population has the opinion of a possible self-attack that the authorities are going to investigate.”
“Morales is seeking confrontation, violence on the roads for political interests and to achieve impunity,” he said.
He also said that the police have not received a formal order from the court to arrest the 65-year-old politician who governed the country between 2006 and 2019.
Morales’ supporters called to continue and massify the protests on the roads after their leader’s denunciations on the radio.
In one of the first reactions abroad, the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, expressed solidarity with Morales, pointing out in a message on the social network It is just the legal elimination, now they move on to the same thing as always: the physical elimination of those who think differently.”
Venezuela repudiated what it considered an attack and noted in a statement from the Foreign Ministry that “it constitutes an act of fascist violence that seeks to inoculate violence and political hatred in Bolivian society.”
Arce and Morales are facing off for control of the divided ruling Movement towards Socialism (MAS) ahead of the 2025 presidential elections. Morales accuses Arce of leading the country to “economic disaster” and of “assembling” a court case to remove him from office. the presidential highway. Arce, for his part, accuses his political mentor of “boycotting” his administration to shorten his term for “personal interests.”
On Saturday night, Arce surprisingly changed the military leadership and urged the new military leaders to “guarantee the restoration of public order” in the face of protests by Morales followers.
Road closures have left cities short of food and fuel and are increasing discontent over rising costs of living in the midst of an economic crisis.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels YouTube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.
Add Comment