Bolivian Government Rejects Morales’ Allegations of Assassination Attempt

The government of Bolivia has dismissed assertions from former president Evo Morales, who alleged that it orchestrated a deliberate assault against him. Morales stated that his vehicle was subjected to continuous gunfire on Sunday night within the Cochabamba region, an incident he denounced as an effort to take his life. However, Eduardo del Castillo, Bolivia’s Interior Minister, countered that the former president’s motorcade evaded an anti-drug patrol, during which his security personnel discharged weapons at police and struck an officer with their vehicle. Evo Morales is currently engaged in a power struggle with President Luis Arce concerning the selection of the Movement for Socialism (Mas) party’s candidate for the upcoming election next year. On Sunday, Morales shared a video on social media, seemingly depicting a minimum of two bullet holes in the windshield of a car where he was seated in the front. A faction of the Mas party supportive of Morales issued a statement asserting that individuals dressed in black had shot at the vehicle as it drove past a military barracks. This faction declared President Arce’s government accountable for the incident. Conversely, on Monday, del Castillo informed a news conference that an anti-drug trafficking unit was conducting a routine highway patrol when Morales’ convoy opened fire on police and ran over an officer. He further remarked, “Mr Morales, nobody believes the theatre you have staged.” Morales has contested this version of events, stating in a post on X that he had been fired upon “more than 18 times”. He claimed to have returned fire after the police initiated shooting. Morales, who served as president from 2006 to 2019, is confronting legal challenges, including inquiries into alleged statutory rape and human trafficking, accusations he refutes. For several weeks, his supporters have obstructed major roads nationwide and engaged in confrontations with law enforcement. Morales contends that these accusations constitute a right-wing vendetta orchestrated against him by the interim president who assumed his position after his 2019 resignation, which followed claims of vote-rigging. Both Morales and Arce command groups of devoted followers prepared to demonstrate in the streets – and occasionally participate in street brawls – to express their support for their respective candidates.