Bolivia's Turbulent Times: Unrest And Political Chaos

Bolivia has been in the news recently due to a range of issues, including political turmoil, economic woes, and natural disasters. There have been recent reports of street battles between supporters of former President Evo Morales and those of the current president, Luis Arce, ahead of the 2025 election. Additionally, Bolivia is facing economic challenges, including high inflation and shrinking government coffers and a shortage of US dollars, which has led to surging prices and long lines at gas stations. On the natural disaster front, Bolivia has declared a national emergency due to wildfires and a severe drought that has affected water levels in the Paraguay River, a regional lifeline.

Evo Morales' resignation

Evo Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president, resigned on November 10, 2019, after almost 14 years in power. Morales was forced to leave office through a combination of protests and pressure from the military, who called on him to step down to ensure "peace and stability and for the good of Bolivia".

Morales' resignation came after a controversial election in which he stood for an unconstitutional fourth term. Morales was allowed to run following a decision from the country's Constitutional Court, but the election was marred by allegations of fraud. When the count showed a win for Morales, there were claims of corruption from supporters of his opponent, Carlos Mesa. These claims were supported by a monitoring group, the Organisation of American States, which found evidence of "manipulation" and called for the result to be cancelled.

Morales denied any wrongdoing but offered to rerun the election and remove himself from the ballot. However, he eventually resigned amid escalating protests and the loss of support from Bolivia's armed forces. Morales described his removal from office as a "coup"—a characterisation supported by some international observers, including Mexico and Russia, but rejected by others, including the United States.

Morales fled to Mexico, claiming he would return to Bolivia with "more strength and energy". In the aftermath of his resignation, Bolivia was left without a leader, as Morales' vice president, Senate president, and the leader of the Chamber of Deputies also offered their resignations. The deputy head of Bolivia's Senate, Jeanine Áñez, then took over as interim president until fresh elections could be held.

Protests and police support

Protests erupted in Bolivia following the controversial reelection of President Evo Morales. Morales, a left-wing, former coca farmer of indigenous descent, had been in power for almost 14 years when he was re-elected in October 2019. The election was marred by accusations of fraud and corruption, with claims that Morales shouldn't have been allowed to run for president again.

As protests against Morales grew, a sizeable part of the police force joined the demonstrators. Bolivia's army chief, Williams Kaliman, also called on Morales to step down to ensure "peace and stability and the good of Bolivia". The Organisation of American States (OAS), a US-based election monitoring group, supported these claims, stating that there had been "manipulation" in the election.

Morales denied any wrongdoing but offered to rerun the elections and remove himself from the ballot. However, this was not enough to satisfy his opponents, and he ultimately resigned, stating:

> I’m resigning so that our brothers don’t continue to be persecuted. I really lament this civilian coup.

Morales and his supporters viewed the army's involvement, alongside the police and protesters, as a coup – a military takeover. They clashed with police, while opponents of Morales celebrated his resignation. The deputy head of Bolivia's Senate, Jeanine Áñez, offered to take over as interim president until fresh elections could be held. However, the situation remained tense, with the army called in to back up the police against pro-Morales demonstrators.

Accusations of election fraud

Bolivia's former president Evo Morales was forced to resign and flee the country after being accused of election fraud. Morales, the country's first indigenous leader, was elected to lead Bolivia in 2005 and praised for his efforts in reducing extreme poverty. However, in 2019, Morales was accused of election fraud by the Organisation of American States (OAS), a US-based election monitoring group.

The accusations of election fraud centred around the 2019 Bolivian presidential election, in which Morales was declared the winner without the need for a runoff vote. The OAS cited a “drastic” and inexplicable shift in the vote as potentially fraudulent, and called for a run-off to be held regardless of the final tally. These accusations were supported by the US, Brazil, and the European Union, who expressed concern over the vote.

On the night of the 2019 election, the official vote-counting system suddenly stopped. When it resumed over 20 hours later, the results had flipped, with Morales' party, the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS), declared the winner without the need for a runoff. This abrupt change in results fuelled suspicions of fraud, with the opposition claiming that the election had been manipulated.

Morales denied any wrongdoing but offered to rerun the elections and remove himself from the ballot. However, he ultimately lost the support of Bolivia's armed forces and was forced to resign. He described the events as a “coup” and fled to Mexico, where he claimed he would return to Bolivia with "more strength and energy".

The accusations of election fraud and the subsequent fallout had significant repercussions in Bolivia. Protests and clashes broke out across the country, resulting in several deaths and injuries. The country was left leaderless, with Morales' vice president, Senate president, and other high-level politicians also resigning. The political crisis led to the annulment of the 2019 election results and the scheduling of new elections in 2020.

Political chaos

Bolivia has been plunged into political chaos following the controversial re-election of Evo Morales, the country's first indigenous president. Morales, a former coca farmer, was first elected in 2005 and has served almost 14 years in power. He has been praised for his economic policies, which have prioritised the poor and indigenous, and for reducing extreme poverty. However, he has also been accused of consolidating power in the judiciary and other parts of the government, as well as alienating a large part of society, particularly those living in urban areas.

Morales's re-election was deemed controversial by many, as he was only allowed to run again following a decision from the country's Constitutional Court. When the vote count showed a win for Morales, there were claims of corruption and election fraud from supporters of his opponent, Carlos Mesa. These claims were supported by a US-based election monitoring group, the Organisation of American States (OAS), which found evidence of "manipulation" and called for the result to be cancelled.

Protests broke out across the country, with anti-government demonstrators attacking the houses of top government officials. A sizeable part of the police force joined the protests, and the country's army chief, Williams Kaliman, called on Morales to step down to ensure "peace and stability". Morales denied any wrongdoing but offered to rerun the elections and remove himself from the ballot. However, he eventually resigned, describing the situation as a "civilian coup". Morales's resignation left the country effectively leaderless, as his vice president, Alvaro Garcia Linera, and other key figures also offered their resignations.

The political chaos in Bolivia has been influenced by the deepening left-right divisions across Latin America, where populist right-wing leaders are challenging left-wing leaders. The US has also played a role, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggesting that Morales should not run for office and backing the findings of the OAS. The reactions to Morales's resignation highlight the frenzied political atmosphere in the region, where US-backed coups have historically forced left-wing governments out of power.

International reactions

The United States

US President Donald Trump welcomed Morales' resignation as "a significant moment for democracy in the Western Hemisphere". Trump also stated that Morales' departure paves the way for the Bolivian people to have their voices heard and sends a strong signal to the "illegitimate regimes" in Venezuela and Nicaragua. The White House National Security Council Spokesperson urged calm and restraint in Bolivia.

Russia

Russia's Foreign Ministry urged all political forces to "show common sense" and accused Bolivia's opposition of "unleashing a new wave of violence", calling the events "an orchestrated coup".

European Union

The EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell condemned any attempt to break the constitutional order in Bolivia and expressed solidarity with the Bolivian government and people. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also firmly condemned the attempts to overthrow the democratically elected government of Bolivia and expressed strong support for the constitutional order and rule of law in the country.

Organization of American States

The Chief of the OAS, Luis Almagro, strongly condemned the events in Bolivia and stated that the army must submit to the legitimately elected civil power.

Mexico

Mexico's foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard viewed the resignation as a coup and offered political asylum to Morales. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador expressed the strongest condemnation of the attempted coup d'état in Bolivia.

Brazil

President Jair Bolsonaro was happy to see Morales gone, stating that the word "coup" is used a lot when the left loses. However, his leftist opponent, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, disagreed, seeing the Morales resignation as a result of the coup.

Venezuela

The two disputed Venezuelan leaders gave opposing views. Nicolás Maduro condemned what he called a coup against Morales, while Juan Guaidó supported the "transition of power" and stated that Latin America was feeling a "democratic hurricane".

Argentina

The president-elect, Alberto Fernández, and vice president-elect, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, both condemned what they described as a coup and stated that democratic processes should be respected. After Morales' statements about the formation of "armed militias" in Bolivia, the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina issued a resolution to deny Morales' asylum request.

Cuba

Both Cuba's foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla and President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned what they termed a coup d'état in Bolivia.

Other Reactions

The governments of Peru, Chile, Paraguay, Honduras, Germany, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Iran, Portugal, Spain, Syria, and Turkey also reacted to the situation in Bolivia, with most condemning the events as a coup and expressing support for the Bolivian people and government.

Frequently asked questions