Evo Morales reports vehicle fired upon in alleged assassination attempt

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales reported on Sunday that a vehicle he was occupying had been fired upon, an incident he denounced as an assassination attempt. A video shared by Morales on social media platforms seemingly displayed a minimum of two bullet perforations in the windshield of a car, where Morales was seated in the front. A statement released by Morales’s Movement for Socialism (Mas) party indicated that individuals dressed in black had discharged firearms at the vehicle as it drove past a military barracks. The party declared President Luis Arce’s government accountable for the event. President Arce denounced political violence and committed to an inquiry. Both individuals are members of the ruling Mas party. However, their relationship has deteriorated, becoming increasingly strained since each declared their intention to seek the Mas party’s nomination for the 2025 presidential election. Morales asserted that the assault constituted “a joint operation between military and police forces.” He further stated that a bullet had narrowly missed him by “centimetres” and that the vehicle’s driver sustained injuries. According to Morales, the incident took place close to the Bolivian Army’s Ninth Division base near Villa Tunari, located in the country’s central region. A faction within the Mas party supportive of Morales asserted that the individuals responsible for the attack gained entry to the military barracks prior to being evacuated via military helicopter. The faction’s statement declared: “This is not an isolated event, it is clear evidence that we are facing a fascist government.” Morales, who served as president from 2006 to 2019, is currently confronting legal challenges, including inquiries into alleged statutory rape and human trafficking, charges he refutes. For several weeks, his proponents have obstructed major roadways nationwide and engaged in confrontations with law enforcement. Morales contends that these accusations are part of a right-wing reprisal orchestrated by the interim president who assumed his office after his 2019 resignation, which followed allegations of vote-rigging. Both Morales and Arce command groups of devoted followers prepared to demonstrate in public spaces—and occasionally participate in street altercations—to express their support for their respective candidates.