Bolivia's Support For Maduro: Understanding The Political Alliance

Bolivia's President Evo Morales has repeatedly expressed support for Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, even as the latter has been accused of authoritarianism and human rights violations. Bolivia and Venezuela share close political ties, with Morales—a close ally of Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chávez—defending Venezuela against criticism from the US and other countries. Morales has characterised such criticism as imperialist attacks and meddling in South American affairs. However, Morales' support for Maduro has raised concerns among democracy observers, given the similarities between the two leaders' political trajectories.

Bolivia's President Evo Morales has expressed solidarity with Maduro, calling Venezuela's situation an imperialist attack

Bolivian President Evo Morales has expressed solidarity with Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, calling the country's situation an imperialist attack. Morales, a leftist and close ally of Venezuela's late populist president Hugo Chávez, has long defended the Venezuelan regime against its foreign critics. Bolivia and Venezuela are politically tied, both being founding members of the leftist grouping of Latin American and Caribbean nations known as the Bolivarian Alliance. Morales has also criticised US sanctions against Venezuela, exclaiming that "Latin America is no longer a Yankee colony".

In a tweet, Morales affirmed his long-standing alliance with Maduro, saying:

> "Our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and our brother Nicolas Maduro, in these decisive hours in which the claws of imperialism seek again to mortally wound the democracy and self-determination of the peoples of South America."

Morales further demonstrated his support for Maduro by travelling to Venezuela to meet with him during a period of large-scale anti-government protests in the country. Morales wrote on Twitter:

> "We are meeting with my fellow President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro and expressing all our support to him in the face of the overthrow and intervention by the empire that wants to appropriate Venezuela's national wealth in violation of international law. Bolivia supports dialogue aimed at avoiding conflicts."

Morales' support for Maduro has, however, caused concern among democracy observers, who worry that Morales may be taking Bolivia down a similar path to Venezuela.

Morales has affirmed his alliance with Maduro, offering to stand by Venezuela against what he calls US meddling

Bolivia's President Evo Morales has reaffirmed his long-standing alliance with President Nicolas Maduro, offering to stand by Venezuela against what he calls US meddling in South America's affairs. Morales has been a close ally of the late populist president Hugo Chávez, defending the Venezuelan regime against its foreign critics. Bolivia and Venezuela are founding members of the leftist grouping of Latin American and Caribbean nations known as the Bolivarian Alliance, started by Chávez and Fidel Castro in 2004. Morales has often spoken out against US interference in the region, declaring that "Latin America is no longer a Yankee colony".

In January 2019, Morales expressed his support for Maduro on Twitter, stating:

> "Our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and our brother Nicolas Maduro, in these decisive hours when the claws of imperialism are once again trying to deal a death blow on democracy and self-determination on the peoples of South America. We will not be the backyard of the U.S. again."

Morales has continued to offer his support to Maduro, even as Venezuela has faced large-scale anti-government protests and a political crisis. In February 2019, Morales travelled to Venezuela to meet with Maduro and express his backing in the face of what he called an "overthrow and intervention by the empire that wants to appropriate Venezuela's national wealth in violation of international law". Morales has also criticised the US seizure of assets belonging to Venezuela's state-owned oil and gas company PDVSA.

The relationship between Bolivia and Venezuela has raised concerns among democracy observers, who worry that Morales may be taking Bolivia down a similar path to Venezuela, which has been characterised by authoritarianism and economic decline under Maduro. Despite these concerns, Morales has maintained his alliance with Maduro, offering his support against what he perceives as US meddling in the region.

Bolivia is a founding member of the Bolivarian Alliance, a leftist group of Latin American and Caribbean nations

> "Our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and our brother Nicolas Maduro, in these decisive hours when the claws of imperialism are once again trying to deal a death blow on democracy and self-determination on the peoples of South America. We will not be the backyard of the U.S. again."

Morales has also criticised sanctions against Venezuela, exclaiming that "Latin America is no longer a Yankee colony". Bolivia and Venezuela's close political ties have led to concerns about the potential for Bolivia to follow Venezuela down the path towards dictatorship. However, there are also pronounced political and social differences between the two countries that may prevent this outcome.

Morales has criticised US sanctions against Venezuela, stating, Latin America is no longer a Yankee colony

Bolivia's President Evo Morales has been a close ally of Venezuela's populist former president Hugo Chávez and has long defended the Venezuelan regime against its critics. Morales has also been a vocal supporter of Chávez's hand-picked successor, Nicolás Maduro, who has been described as an autocrat and a dictator.

Morales has criticised US sanctions against Venezuela, stating, "Latin America is no longer a Yankee colony". This criticism came after the White House passed sanctions against Venezuela in November 2017. Morales has also accused the US of meddling in South America's affairs and attempting to appropriate Venezuela's national wealth. In a tweet, Morales expressed his solidarity with the Venezuelan people and Maduro, stating that they were facing an "imperialist attack".

Morales' support for Maduro is not without controversy. Bolivia and Venezuela are politically tied, which has raised concerns among democracy observers. There are fears that Morales is taking Bolivia down a similar path to Venezuela, which has been characterised by authoritarianism and economic chaos under Maduro.

Despite these concerns, Morales has continued to reaffirm his backing for Maduro, even as Venezuela faces large-scale anti-government protests and a political crisis. Morales' stance aligns with his anti-US rhetoric and his position as a leftist leader in Latin America.

Anti-Maduro Venezuelan migrants in Bolivia fear expulsion due to the country's support for Maduro

Bolivia's President Evo Morales has long defended the Venezuelan regime against its critics, and his country is one of the few in the region that still supports the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. This has led to fears of expulsion among anti-Maduro Venezuelan migrants in Bolivia.

In April 2019, police in the Bolivian capital La Paz arrested over a dozen Venezuelans identified as having led anti-Maduro protests outside the Cuban embassy. The protesters had demanded an end to what they called interference in Venezuelan affairs by Cuba, which they blame for stoking Venezuela's humanitarian crisis.

Six of the protesters were deported, eight were released, and five fled to Peru for fear of reprisals. One of the protesters, a 43-year-old civil engineer named Nelson, told Reuters: "I'm a little afraid of being expelled, because they already expelled Venezuelans."

The Bolivian government issued a statement explaining the detention of the Venezuelan migrants, saying: "It was determined that these citizens have no legal occupation or economic activity for their stay in the country. They confessed to being involved in conspiracy and participating in political activities that affect public order, in exchange for money."

Erika Guevara Rosas, the Americas director for Amnesty International, called on the Bolivian government to "stop prosecuting and arbitrarily expelling Venezuelan refugees who need international protection."

Last year, at least 3.4 million Venezuelans left their country as it faced high inflation, recession, and acute food and medicine shortages. Most immigrants have sought refuge in Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, and Brazil.

Venezuelans have been emigrating from their country in large numbers during the presidencies of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro since the Bolivarian Revolution. The United Nations predicted that by the end of 2019, there would be over 5 million recorded emigrants during the Venezuelan crisis, over 15% of the population. By October 2022, over 7.1 million people had emigrated from Venezuela since Maduro's rise to power.

The Venezuelan refugee crisis has been compared to those faced by Cuban exiles, Syrian refugees, and those affected by the European migrant crisis.

Bolivia's Morales reaffirmed his backing for Maduro in a tweet, offering to stand by Venezuela against what he called "U.S. meddling in South America's affairs."

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