(El Alto) The Bolivian government of President Luis Arce and his former ally Evo Morales accused each other Sunday of creating a climate of violence in the country, as a march by the former president and thousands of his supporters approached La Paz.
Bolivian Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa made the accusations against Morales in a letter to several international officials, including U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Describing the “violent march led by the former president” as a “threat,” Mr.me Sosa believes that “it does not have as its objective a social claim”, but “to interrupt the constitutional mandate” of President Arce.
This would take place through “early elections and the possibility of a new candidacy by Mr. Morales, despite the fact that the Constitution does not allow it.”
PHOTO JUAN KARITA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Police fire tear gas during clashes between supporters of former President Evo Morales and current President Luis Arce in El Alto.
Evo Morales, president from 2006 to 2019, and Luis Arce, in office since 2020, are competing for the leadership of the ruling party and the party’s candidacy for the August 2025 presidential election. Mr. Morales and some 10,000 of his supporters began a march on Tuesday from Caracollo, 190 km south of La Paz, to the seat of government in the capital.
The former president, who led the march, said some 6,000 police officers had been deployed, along with civilians and civil servants, to try to stop it.
“If there are injuries or deaths, it will be the government’s responsibility,” he warned.
Mr. Morales and his supporters plan to arrive on Sunday about 25 kilometers from El Alto, a mandatory stop on the way to La Paz. But groups of civilians linked to President Arce took up position on an avenue in El Alto that same day to prevent the march from advancing.
PHOTO JUAN KARITA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tires burn as supporters of former President Evo Morales march toward the capital to protest against current President Luis Arce, clashing with Arce supporters.