Bolivia: Arce – Morales Clash Gets Increasingly Hotter

Bolivia’s institutional crisis continues to escalate, pitting former President Evo Morales against current President Luis Arce. Morales was the first indigenous president in Bolivia’s history, holding office from 2006 to 2019, when he was succeeded by Luis Alberto Arce after a year of interim rule by Jeanine Añez. The two are members of the same party, the Movement for Socialism (MAS), Arce has been Minister of Economy several times, and Morales has been President.

The two are now in a squabble over control of MAS, with Morales continuing to keep the country’s economy under control with roadblocks that have already restricted fuel supplies, among other things, since mid-October and could lead to economic losses that analysts estimate could exceed $2 billion.

Morales’s supporters say a real political persecution is underway, aimed at preventing him from running again in the 2025 presidential election. The arrest warrant for the alleged sexual abuse of a Young Guard minor committed when Morales was president should be viewed in this light.

Meanwhile, many things have happened: an assassination attempt on Morales, who declared a hunger strike “until the government agrees to dialog,” and 200 army soldiers taken hostage by his supporters.

Instead, President Luis Arce claims that a coup d’état is being planned, with the goal of a new Morales candidacy in the future.

Roadblocks are almost everywhere around Morales’s stronghold in the Cochabamba region. There are fears of escalating violence with a segment of the population that local media believe could turn against the demonstrators controlling the blockades. According to a report by Italian news agency ANSA, there are also fears that the conflict could spread from the MAS party to the entire Bolivian society. The focus is on Santa Cruz, the most economically important city in the country, where conservative movements, historically opposed to MAS, have a strong presence.