Bolivians March: Democracy, Rights, And A Call For Change

People in Bolivia have been marching in support of former President Evo Morales, who resigned in 2019 amid mass protests over a disputed election win. Morales, who was the country's first indigenous president, has since attempted a political comeback, and in September 2024, he and his supporters marched to the capital, La Paz, to protest against the government of current President Luis Arce. The march turned violent as Morales supporters clashed with counter-protesters, with 13 people injured in the scuffles.

Protests against the government of current President Luis Arce

Morales led a protest march from the town of Caracollo to La Paz, the political capital, in September 2024. The march was dubbed the "March to Save Bolivia" and reflected an existential split in the heart of one of Latin America's most successful left-wing parties, the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS). Morales and Arce are vying to be the MAS candidate in the 2025 presidential election.

The march turned violent as Morales' supporters clashed with counter-protesters who tried to block their way with rocks and tear gas. Morales' supporters responded with slingshots and chased their adversaries into the surrounding highlands. Roughly 40 people were injured in the clashes, including three police officers.

Morales accused Arce's government of deploying "paramilitary groups to incite violence" and busing officers into El Alto to stir up trouble. He also claimed that the government sent plainclothes police officers to stir up trouble and vandalise protesters' vehicles. Arce, meanwhile, accused Morales of trying to orchestrate a coup, saying that he seeks "to destroy democracy in Bolivia and end the lives of Bolivians".

The rift between Morales and Arce goes back to the 2019 election, when Morales ran for an unconstitutional third consecutive term. He won the election, but allegations of fraud triggered mass protests. Under pressure from the army, Morales resigned and fled to Mexico. In the 2020 election, Morales picked Arce, his former finance minister, as the MAS candidate. The party swept back into power, and Morales returned to Bolivia.

However, it soon became clear that both men wanted to be the MAS candidate in 2025. Arce accused Morales of putting people at risk for his personal ambitions. Morales, in turn, has tried to expel Arce from MAS. As Arce controls the official leaderships of the social organisations that form the backbone of MAS, the party has been paralysed, unable to take such decisions.

Morales has used the country's economic crisis as a political weapon to promote his campaign for another presidential bid. Bolivia has been hit by a drop in revenue from natural gas exports and a decline in production due to a lack of investment. To compensate, Arce has been using international reserves to maintain domestic subsidies, leading to a dollar shortage and the devaluation of the Bolivian peso.

Morales has rallied his loyal base of coca farmers, Indigenous peoples and workers, who have staged street protests, marches and road blockades in support of his campaign.

Demonstrators supporting former President Evo Morales

In 2019, Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president, was accused of fraud in the October general election, which he claimed to have won by just over 10%. The Organization of American States (OAS) found clear manipulation of the vote count and recommended holding a new election. Morales agreed to hold another election but resigned after the military and police joined protests against him and his vice president, Álvaro García Linera.

Morales's supporters protested his removal from office and the installation of an interim government led by Áñez, who was next in the line of succession. Protests continued through November 2019, with demonstrators blocking highways and creating shortages of food and fuel. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concerns about massacres committed by the new government in response to armed protests.

In 2024, Morales led a "March to Save Bolivia," a 118-mile trek from Caracollo to the capital, La Paz, to protest against President Luis Arce, his former economy minister and protégé-turned-rival. Morales accused Arce of mishandling the economy and demanded to be allowed to run in the 2025 presidential election. The 2024 march turned violent when it was met by counter-protesters armed with tear gas bombs, stones, and firecrackers.

Morales, a former coca grower and the country's first indigenous president, has retained significant support among poor and indigenous Bolivians. He oversaw a period of strong economic growth and social uplift during his time in office from 2006 to 2019. However, he became unpopular with some Bolivians due to his determination to stay in power, including by overturning a referendum on presidential term limits.

Political crisis in Bolivia

Bolivia has been experiencing a political crisis since 2019, when protests and marches erupted in response to claims of electoral fraud in the 2019 general election. The crisis centres on the controversial figure of former president Evo Morales, who resigned in 2019 amid mass protests over a disputed election win. Morales was the country's first indigenous president and was viewed by many as a champion of the poor who brought steady economic growth. However, others saw him as an autocrat who defied a referendum on presidential term limits.

The 2019 Bolivian protests, also known as the Pitita Revolution, took place from 21 October 2019 until late November of that year. They were sparked by claims of electoral fraud in the 2019 general election, held on 20 October. The claims of fraud arose when the preliminary vote count was suspended, and the subsequent publication of the official count showed Morales winning by just over 10%. Some international observers expressed concern over the integrity of the elections. While the majority of the demonstrations were peaceful, there were also violent clashes between pro- and anti-Morales protesters, resulting in deaths and injuries on both sides.

Morales denied the allegations and invited international observers to audit the electoral processes, promising to hold a runoff if any fraud was found. However, he initially refused to be bound by the results of an audit. An audit team from the Organization of American States (OAS) worked to verify the integrity and reliability of the results. Their preliminary report, released on 10 November 2019, questioned the integrity of the election results and recommended another "electoral process".

Following the release of the OAS report, Morales announced that the government would hold another full election. However, he was met with calls for his resignation from several quarters, including the National Union of Workers and the commanders of the Armed Forces. Morales, together with his Vice President Álvaro García Linera, resigned on 10 November 2019, delivering their resignations both on live television and in writing.

Protests continued until the end of November, primarily by those who sought Morales' return. Under the direction of Morales and his allies, protesters created blockades on inter-departmental highways, resulting in food and fuel shortages. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concerns over massacres by the new government in response to armed protests.

In September 2024, Morales started a protest march against his political rival, current President Luis Arce, marking an escalation in the political crisis. The march turned violent when it was met by counterprotesters, resulting in clashes between the two groups. The political rivalry between Morales and Arce has divided Congress and exacerbated an economic crisis in Bolivia.

Dispute over the 2019 general election

The 2019 Bolivian protests, also known as the Pitita Revolution, were a series of demonstrations and marches that took place from 21 October 2019 until late November of that year. The protests were sparked by claims of electoral fraud in the 2019 general election, which took place on 20 October.

The first round of voting for all government positions was held on 20 October 2019. Shortly after the vote was closed, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal released two sets of counts. The first was an exit poll that verified 95.6% of the votes and showed incumbent President Evo Morales leading his main opposition and former president, Carlos Mesa, by 9.33 percentage points. This margin indicated that a second runoff round would be required. However, no further updates to the preliminary results were made after 7:40 pm local time, and no official results were published overnight.

At 9:25 pm, as the vote-counting was still underway, President Morales declared himself the winner of the elections, stating that the outstanding vote from rural areas would guarantee his victory. However, most of the remaining votes were expected to go in Morales's favour, and the Organization of American States (OAS) recommended a runoff even if Morales's lead exceeded 10 points.

On 21 October 2019, the Plurinational Electoral Organ held a press conference and published data from the rapid count of the Transmission of Preliminary Electoral Results (TREP) system. With 95.30% of the votes verified, Morales's Movement for Socialism (MAS) obtained 46.86% of the votes, surpassing Mesa's Civic Community, which obtained 36.72% of the votes. This result indicated that Morales had won by just over 10% and would remain in power for a fourth term.

However, allegations of fraud emerged, and international observers expressed concern over the integrity of the elections. The suspension of the preliminary vote count, in which Morales was not leading by a large enough margin to avoid a runoff, and the subsequent publication of the official count, in which Morales won by just over 10%, raised suspicions. There were also concerns over a daylong gap in the reporting of results, followed by a surge in Morales votes when the count resumed.

In response to the allegations, Morales denied any wrongdoing and invited international observers to audit the electoral processes. He promised to hold a runoff if any fraud was found but initially refused to be bound by the results of an audit. An audit team from the OAS worked to verify the integrity and reliability of the results, and their preliminary report, released on 10 November 2019, questioned the integrity of the election results and recommended another "electoral process".

Following the release of the OAS report, Morales announced that the government would hold another full election. However, later that day, he faced calls for his resignation from several groups, including the National Union of Workers and the commanders of the Armed Forces. Morales, together with his Vice President Álvaro García Linera, resigned on the same day, delivering their resignations both on live television and in writing.

Protests continued until the end of November, primarily by those who sought Morales's return. Under the direction of Morales and his allies, protesters created blockades on inter-departmental highways, resulting in food and fuel shortages. The interim government, led by Jeanine Áñez, the second vice-president of the Senate, worked to end the blockades and release arrested protesters.

Allegations of electoral fraud

In 2019, Bolivians took to the streets in response to claims of electoral fraud in the 2019 general election. The incumbent, Evo Morales, was facing allegations that he had manipulated the election results in his favour. This came after a suspension of the preliminary vote count, in which Morales was not leading by a large enough margin (10%) to avoid a runoff. However, when the official count was published, Morales won by just over 10%.

Some international observers, including the Organization of American States (OAS), expressed concern over the integrity of the elections. The OAS conducted an audit of the election and their preliminary report, released on 10 November 2019, questioned the integrity of the election results and recommended another "electoral process". The report alleged multiple serious irregularities, including "manipulations of the I.T. system [that] are of such magnitude that they should be investigated in depth by the Bolivian State". They further stated that "it is statistically unlikely that Morales obtained the 10% difference needed to avoid a second round".

Morales denied the allegations and invited international observers to audit the electoral processes, promising to hold a runoff if any fraud was found. However, he initially refused to be bound by the results of an audit. Following the release of the OAS initial report, Morales announced that the government would hold another full election (rather than a runoff).

The allegations of fraud sparked protests and marches from 21 October 2019 until late November of that year. While the majority of the demonstrations were peaceful, there were also numerous acts of violence. Initial violence allegedly targeted opposition protesters, with Pro-MAS supporters being bused into opposition areas, given weapons, and told to clear blockades, resulting in the death and injury of opposition protesters. In later weeks, senior members of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) and their families were victims of attacks, including vandalism and arson of their houses.

The fraud allegations also led to a political crisis in Bolivia, with Morales eventually resigning and fleeing the country. His supporters, however, continued to protest, demanding his return and calling his resignation a "Washington-backed coup d'état".

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