Former Bolivian President Evo Morales (2006-2019), forced to resign at the beginning of November 2019 after having applied for a fourth term in elections which were suspected of irregularities, is seeking a senator's seat in the general elections of May 3 He has been living in exile in Buenos Aires since the beginning of December.
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Why are you running for a senatorial seat (for the Cochabamba region (center))?
During the first week of my exile in Mexico (Evo Morales spent almost a month in Mexico before reaching Argentina), I saw so much repression, so many de facto massacres committed by the government … And I saw so many threats from the United States … That I felt that being a candidate would give me guarantees, a certain security. From there comes this initiative to seek a post of national parliamentarian.
Do you think that the conditions are in place for the general elections of May 3 to take place in a democratic manner?
Just today (thursday february 6), the deputy (of MAS, the movement towards socialism, started from Evo Morales) Gustavo Torrico, a very committed and anti-imperialist activist, was detained for "terrorism" and "sedition", solely on the basis of his statements. There is no freedom of expression in Bolivia. And it shows that there can be no free and transparent elections under these conditions. We ask that international mediators and observers come and follow up on the campaign and these elections now, to be witnesses and guarantors of the transparency of this election.
Why did you choose Luis Arce (former Minister of Economy of Evo Morales) as MAS candidate for the presidential election?
It was not me who chose it, but the representatives of the MAS. The Luis Arce – David Choquehuanca formula (former foreign minister) is the best possible. As for why the Bolivians wanted Luis Arce to be a candidate, I met a shopkeeper on the border with Argentina who explained it to me: she told me that everyone around her was only talking about him, because thanks to him, they had access to electricity, water, many products … Luis Arce embodies the guarantee of the continuation of our social and economic programs.
What do you think of the candidacy of the interim president Jeanine Añez, who had said that she would not run?
All politicians around the world say "No, no, I won't introduce myself", and end up doing it. It is their right, the people will judge. She is the head of a government resulting from a coup, a dictatorship … It is anything but ethical.
