Bolivia: former president Evo Morales says he is the victim of an assassination attempt

This article was originally published in Spanish

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales denounced this Sunday the fact that four hooded men shot at his car on his way to his radio show.

“Like every Sunday, we were going to Lauca Ñ, to do our Sunday broadcast, when at the gates of the novena we were intercepted by two vehiclesapparently Tundras, from which came out four hooded men dressed in black, weapons in hand, who started shooting”declared the former president on his Facebook page.

Mr. Morales also said on his show that the attackers had tried to ambush him and thatthey had shot at least 14 times at the carwithout causing any injuries. However, his driver was injured.

The former president immediately accused his political heir and successor, Luis Arce, of having ordered the attack. “Arce will be the worst president in history, shooting a former president is the straw that breaks the camel’s back”said Mr. Morales.

Political persecution?

A fortnight ago, the attorney general’s office ordered the arrest of Mr. Morales after he refused to testify on accusations ofalleged abuse of a minor in 2017. Morales claimed at the time that the order was part of a “political persecution” from Arce.

Bolivia’s president and Morales are at loggerheads over control of the divided ruling Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party as the 2025 presidential elections approach.

Mr. Morales accused Mr. Arce of leading the country to a “economic disaster” and of “to go up” a legal filing to exclude him from the presidential race. Arce, for his part, accuses his political mentor of “boycott” his administration in order to shorten his mandate for “personal interests”. The Bolivian government has not yet commented on what happened.