The coca-growing region of Chapare and a secondary road in central Bolivia were taken over by protesters on Monday following a call for a national road blockade by followers of former President Evo Morales to prevent him from being arrested after refusing to appear before the prosecutor’s office. that is investigating him for alleged rape, trafficking and trafficking of minors.
The police dispersed protesters who were trying to cut off a vital route between the west and east of the country. The social organizations that support Morales called for the blockades “to protect the freedom, integrity and kidnapping of our brother Evo Morales,” according to the resolution adopted over the weekend in a meeting chaired by the coca leader himself.
“It is a desperate measure to prevent justice from doing its job,” said Justice Minister César Siles.
The politician who governed Bolivia for 14 years (2006-2019) accuses his heir and successor, President Luis Arce, of “building” the case to invalidate his candidacy for the 2025 presidential elections by the ruling Movement towards Socialism (MAS) .
“Through sentences they seek to take away the acronym” of the party and intend to “disqualify me with judicial processes,” Morales said on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday. His followers set up vigils in Chapare to avoid his arrest.
The accusation is part of a political war between Arce and Morales for control of the party apparatus ahead of the elections that will take place in 10 months. The MAS has been divided and its political hegemony weakened.
Morales alleges a lack of guarantees to appear to testify and the prosecutor investigating him Sandra Gutiérrez said that an arrest warrant should be issued, although according to Minister Siles it has not been issued so far.
The father of the then minor with whom Morales would have had a relationship in 2016 is detained and the police are looking for the mother.
Arce has summoned Morales for Monday afternoon to discuss his requests, said the Minister of the Presidency, María Nela Prada. So far no approach has been successful. Deputy Renán Cabezas, a supporter of Morales, said that it could be a “trap” and ruled out Morales attending the meeting.
Opponents and analysts allege that the government is using the case to divert the focus from the country’s economic problems such as the increase in the cost of living, the shortage of diesel and the shortage of dollars that make imports more expensive.
“Morales points to Arce as his political enemy; Arce believes that his enemy is Morales, but Arce’s enemy is the economy,” commented the president’s former presidential spokesman, Jorge Richter.
While the case monopolizes media attention, an oral trial began on Monday against the leaders of the 2019 protest that led to the resignation of then-president Evo Morales, including interim president Jeanine Áñez and the governor of Santa Cruz, Luis Fernando Camacho, both in prison.
Áñez was already sentenced to 10 years in another similar case while Camacho has been in prison for almost two years without a sentence.
The protests that left 37 dead broke out in 2019 after elections denounced as fraudulent by the Organization of American States (OAS) in which Morales was seeking a third term. Áñez, Camacho and other defendants must answer to charges of terrorism, sedition and conspiracy and have denounced lack of due process and violation of their rights.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels YouTube, WhatsApp and to the newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.
Add Comment