He reiterates that he protests against the mismanagement of President Luis Arce and will continue his hunger strike

Ap and Europa Press

La Jornada Newspaper
Monday, November 4, 2024, p. 27

La Paz., The former president of Bolivia Evo Morales assured that he will continue on hunger strike and encouraging the occupation of roads to defend his political objectives and in protest of the current economic and poor management of his heir, President Luis Arce, with whom he is fighting a battle for control of the ruling party, the Movement to Socialism, ahead of the 2025 elections.

The government accused Morales of demanding that his followers let there be deaths and bloodshed in the protests and road blockades that have now been going on for 21 days.

My fight is to improve the situation of the country and to start a dialogue without conditions, at two tables: one economic and the other political.Morales said.

Arce accuses him of promoting protests just to defend personal interests and aggravating the economic situation with road blockades to force his resignation.

The Minister of Government, Eduardo del Castillo, responded that the administration is willing to negotiate, but not in exchange for impunity or violating the Constitution.

In a message on the social network X, Del Castillo wrote: Unfortunately, Mr. Morales has asked his followers today (Saturday) afternoon that they need greater confrontations to get deaths and bloodshed.

He added that 92 officers were injured in the task of clearing roads and that the police he has not fired shots.

The day before, the Foreign Ministry reported that followers of the former president maintain taken three military units and 200 soldiers with their families held hostage. “It is a vigil, there was no intervention, there was no take”They are at the door of the barracks,” Morales said.

His supporters demand that the former president not be investigated by justice in a case of alleged rape with a 16-year-old girl with whom he had a daughter, and that he be allowed to be a presidential candidate in 2025, after a Court ruling Constitutional Court left him out of the race. Now they are also asking for Arce’s resignation.

It’s not that Evo wants to be president, the people have asked me to return. There was stability in my management. When there is economic and political stability, there is happinesshe said in an interview at the headquarters of the coca growers union, where he is carrying out the hunger strike.

He also stated that his followers were exacerbated after last week’s assassination attempt, and accused the government of having sent hooded men who shot at his car, supposedly to assassinate him.

The government asserted that the politician resisted a search at an anti-drug police checkpoint, that he shot and ran over an agent while fleeing, events that led to a chase.