Former Bolivian President Evo Morales has been barred from standing in the Senate by his country's highest electoral body, a move that jeopardizes his return to politics after his resignation in November.
The Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) of Bolivia invalidated, Thursday, February 20, his candidacy, because the ex-president, exiled in Argentina, does not fulfill the obligation to " permanent residence " in the country. Evo Morales had left Bolivia for Mexico after he resigned in November, after weeks of protests against him and under pressure from the armed forces, following a controversial presidential election. He then took refuge in Argentina.
The court decision "Is a blow against democracy. The members (from this court) know that I meet the conditions to be a candidate. The end goal is the elimination of MAS "reacted Mr. Morales on Twitter by evoking his party, the Movement towards socialism (MAS). On the other hand, his main rival, ex-president Carlos Mesa (center), welcomed the court's decision which, according to him, "Correctly applied the law and the Constitution". Evo Morales "Must understand that he can no longer use the law according to his interests", he added.
Morales’s party, MAS, will nonetheless be well represented in the presidential election. The candidacy of former economy minister Luis Arce has been validated by the TSE, its president, Salvador Romero, told reporters on Thursday. He had been officially declared a candidate for the MAS on February 9. This economist close to Mr. Morales was his Minister of Economy during his presidency from 2006 to 2019.
Arce largely at the head of polls
According to the latest polls, Luis Arce is well ahead of voting intentions, with 31.6%, ahead of the centrist former head of state Carlos Mesa (17.1%) and the interim conservative president, Jeanine Añez (16.5%).
The court also struck down the candidacy of former foreign minister Morales Diego Pary, who wanted to run in the southern constituency of Potosi.
Mr. Morales, 60, prosecuted in his country for "Sedition and terrorism", could not already run for president. The acting president had indeed promulgated, on November 24, a law calling new presidential and legislative elections and which prohibits any person having exercised two consecutive elective mandates to stand for a third. This closed the door to a new candidacy for Evo Morales, 60, who has already served three terms. The former head of state then decided to run for a senatorial post in the Cochabamba region (center), where he began his political career.
Morales had declared himself the winner of the October 20 ballot for a fourth term, but the opposition had cried fraud. After several weeks of demonstrations and his release by the police and the army, he announced his resignation and the elections were canceled.
The general elections of May 3 aim to elect the president, the vice-president as well as 36 senators and 120 deputies. In the event of a second round, the ballot will take place on June 14.
