La Paz, Bolivia.- The internal struggle within the Bolivian government has become tense again in the last few hours. The government of President Luis Arce today denounced before the international community the pressure from his former ally and political rival Evo Morales and what it considered an “ultimatum” in response to the call made by Morales the day before to change his cabinet within 24 hours.
The Bolivian government considered the former president’s (2006-2019) approach as a threat to the country’s democratic order.
The week of marches and confrontations between Morales supporters and those close to the current president reached La Paz, the seat of government, on Monday and concluded with a call from the historical leader of the ruling party Movement Towards Socialism to the government to replace its ministers and with a veiled mention of the government resigning.
“If Lucho wants to continue governing, first, he must replace corrupt ministers within 24 hours…” Morales demanded of Luis Arce on Monday. If he does not do so, “he will know what he has to do,” he said later, warning of more mobilizations if there is no response.
That request, after months of disagreements between Arce and Morales over who will be the future presidential candidate of the MAS, was presented to the executive as an “ultimatum” that threatens “to interrupt the continuity of the democratic order” in Bolivia.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced Morales before the international community — without giving further details on the scope of the complaint — and rejected “any type of extortion or conditioning against the will of the people expressed at the polls.”
The government has called for a “peaceful solution” to the conflict and has called for dialogue in the face of a week of protests against it.
Morales led the so-called “march to change Bolivia” that covered some 190 kilometers from the town of Caracollo, in Oruro, to La Paz. The former president, along with all his dissident supporters from the ruling party, demanded to be recognized as the leader and candidate of the ruling party.
Ombudsman Pedro Callisaya said on Tuesday morning that efforts are being made to bring the two factions of the MAS closer together, but there has been no clear evidence of progress.
The disputes between Arce and Morales have deepened since last year when the former president announced his intention to run in the 2025 presidential elections. Arce has not made his candidacy official, but analysts say he is campaigning.
The internal division within the MAS has become more acute in recent months and has led to clashes between its members, even within peasant organisations, the organisation’s most solid base.
The dispute also coincides with an economic crisis that is hitting the country, aggravated by the shortage of dollars and a drop in hydrocarbon production. Protests from different productive sectors of the country have demanded solutions from the government of Arce, who was Minister of Economy under Morales and is considered the architect of an economic model based on state investment.
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