The growing divisions between Luis Arce and Evo Morales came to ahead in the party’s congress held this weekOctober 06, 2023 by Brasil de Fato
Evo Morales poses with supporters during the congress: he said that the current government is worse than that of the neoliberals – PABLO RIVERA / AFP
The split in Bolivia’s ruling political party has become official. President Luis Arce and vice-president David Choquehuanca are no longer part of the MAS (Movement towards Socialism) party, which ratified the decision, informally announced on the 24, to present former president Evo Morales (2006-2019) as its candidate in the 2025 elections.
The MAS held its tenth congress from October 3-4 in the town of Lauca Ñ, a coca growing region in the center of the country. On that occasion, the party decreed the “self-expulsion” of Arce and Choquehuanca, for not attending the meeting, and of 20 other deputies aligned with the Arce government.
On Tuesday, the day of the inauguration of the congress, Arce made a surprise appearance at a meeting of farmers in La Paz. He explained that he wasn’t going to Lauca Ñ because the invite had taken space away from various social organizations, such as the powerful Confederación Sindical Única de Trabajadores Rurales, while the representation of the party apparatus had grown significantly.
Arce’s followers questioned the legitimacy of the congress before the Constitutional Court, which ordered its suspension just hours before it was due to end. Morales expressed concern on his social networks about an alleged police intervention underway, which did not take place. “Unfortunately, the government of Lucho and David, worse than the neoliberal governments, until the last moment wanted to postpone the congress,” said the former president in his speech.
“We continue to make national and international history. The MAS will recover the revolution to save the homeland again,” Morales said.
On X (formerly Twitter), Evo posted: “The unity, determination, conscience and dignity of the MAS members prevailed over the desperate acts that tried in vain to sabotage, even threaten our lives, and politically use some judges to make us fail. The strength of the people is unstoppable and invincible, sisters and brothers.”
The Constitutional Court’s decision could render the congress resolutions legally invalid. The MAS would not have complied with the requirement to renew its leadership required by electoral law, which would jeopardize its legal existence. A committee of Morales’ lawyers told the press that the Constitutional Court’s decision was “fraudulent” and would have no legal effect.
If the Constitutional Court’s decision prevails, the Electoral Court will have to give MAS time to organize a new congress and choose another leadership. Or annul the party, which could have unpredictable political consequences.
At the MAS congress, hundreds of leaders dressed in the party’s blue color, wearing T-shirts and caps with Morales’ image, proclaimed him the “undisputed leader.” At the same time, the farmers gathered with Arce called him an “academic”, a “scholar” and “South America’s greatest economic scientist.”
What is at stake is a contest to decide who will be the candidate of the popular and Indigenous sectors. According to Bolivia’s latest census, 40.6% of the population claim to be Indigenous. Morales was the first president to represent this section of the population. He came to power after a process of population impoverishment—between 1998 and 2002, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita fell by 20% and unemployment doubled—and led a process of income redistribution.
Morales left power after suffering a coup d’état in 2019. After the interim government of Jeanine Áñez, who is now in prison, Luis Arce, who had been Minister of Economy in the Morales government, was elected president in 2020.
This article was translated from a piece in Portuguese originally published in Brasil de Fato.
Ex-president of Bolivia Evo Morales assures that the head of the OAS Luis Almagro should be investigated for crimes against humanity after the recognition of the massacres of Senkata and Sacaba. | Photo: Twitter/@enteratee24
The request of the former Bolivian president comes after Almagro’s recognition of the Senkata and Sacaba massacres.
The former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, demanded Thursday an investigation against the secretary-general of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, for crimes against humanity, after he acknowledged that there were indeed massacres in Senkata and Sacaba in November 2019.
The head of the OAS “provoked and accompanied” the de facto government installed in Bolivia, which is currently attributed and investigated, the responsibility for the massacres after the overthrow of Evo Morales shortly before.
Evo Morales said that “Almagro publicly admitted that in Bolivia there were massacres perpetrated by the de facto government” and added, in that sense, “I demand that he be investigated to explain his participation in those crimes against humanity.”
The former president pointed out that Almagro made this public acknowledgment after being “betrayed by the last remnant of his conscience.”
Thus, he refers to the fact that, during a virtual meeting of the OAS Permanent Council on Wednesday, Almagro acknowledged the massacres and asked for a minute of silence for the victims of those massacres; he then stood up as a sign of respect.
In response, Evo Morales pointed out that this shows his extreme cynicism and accused Almagro of being “one of the people, who with his actions, has justly caused those deaths.”
Bolivian President Luis Arce also described Almagro’s request for a minute’s silence as outrageous.
Meanwhile, the Bolivian ambassador to the OAS, Héctor Arce, present at the virtual meeting, described Almagro’s action as a very serious imposture, recalling the actions of the OAS and its head, which favored the establishment of the de facto government of Jeanine Áñez.
The Bolivian people demonstrated that truth, dignity and struggle were not lost with the military coup, nor with the atrocities committed by the de facto government installed last year.
The overwhelming victory of the Movement Toward Socialism’s (MAS) Presidential candidate, Luis Arce, who defeated his closest rival, October 19, by more than 20 percentage points, shattered the right wing illusion that they could join forces to win in a second round.
“Congratulations to MAS, which has recovered, at the polls, the power that was usurped by the oligarchy, with the complicity of the OAS and imperialist guidance,” tweeted Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, early on Election Day, welcoming the news, and emphasizing: “Cuba shares the joy for Luis Arce’s victory… the Bolivarian ideal is reborn.”
Toward the end of the afternoon, the winner responded with heartfelt thanks: “Thank you President Miguel Díaz-Canel. The united people decided, with the vote, the return of economic, social and political stability. Today we share the same joy, because our people have regained hope.”
The results of the vote expose the farce mounted after the 2019 elections by the Organization of American States (OAS), the Lima Group and the United States, which led to the military coup, the departure of Evo Morales and repression that cost the lives of more than 30 Bolivians.
So forceful was the will of the people that de facto President, Jeanine Áñez, had no choice but to recognize MAS. Arce, in his first public comments after the victory, emphasized that he intends to construct a government of national unity, and redirect the process of change without hatred, learning from and overcoming past errors.
Along with his running mate, David Choquehuanca, he has the moral authority and experience to reverse the neo-liberal nightmare imposed following the military coup. The economic disaster protected by Áñez, aggravated by poor management of the pandemic, widespread corruption, and the handing over of natural resources and factories to large corporations injured the dignity of the people who opted for the peace of the ballot box.
Once in office – but attentive to the shadowy plans with which enemies will surely react, inside and outside the country – the new government will face the complex, challenging task of uniting political forces; strengthening the people’s confidence; charting the course for economic and social development; correcting the response to COVID-19, to control outbreaks and deaths; and restoring sovereignty and the international relations destroyed by the coup plotters.
The official celebration of the MAS-IPSP was held in El Alto and attended by tens of thousands.
Social movements from around the country have descended on the city of El Alto, to attend the official celebration for the victory of the Movement Towards Socialism – Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of Peoples (MAS-IPSP).
It was called the “Grand cultural party for the recuperation of democracy” and incldued the presence of all peoples and nationalities of the country.
President-elect Luis Arce and Vice President-elect David Choquehuanca were in attendance as different regional groups and organizations paraded down the route on Avenida Civica, greeting the candidates.
The incoming executive was joined on stage by newly elected Senators, Lower House legislators and other union and social movement leaders of the MAS.
teleSUR spoke with Segundina Flores, leader of the Bartolina Sisa National Confederation of Campesino, Indigenous, and Native Women of Bolivia.
She said today is a festive day in celebration of the restoration of democracy to come,”This process won’t end, it will continue for many years. That’s why our peoples are going to govern ourselves, that’s why today is a democratic party.”
“Today, a democracy will return which is egalitarian, a democracy participatory, a democracy for all,” said the national women’s leader.
Vice President-elect David Choquehuanca told teleSUR that today’s celebration was a cultural manifestation of the Bolivian peoples, “We are happy, there is a lot of hope on the faces of our brothers, who express their joy by dancing, showing our culture, that culture of brotherhood, of joy and happiness. The people have recovered their spirit, our people have recovered their “ajayu” their courage.”
The official presenation of results and declaration of the winners of the 2020 General Election took place on Friday evening, in statements by Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) President, Salvador Romero, before press and electoral observers. Arce and Choquehuanca won the election, receiving 55.1% of the vote, beating out Carlos Mesa by over 26 points.
Both Arce and Choquehuanca served as ministers, of economy and foreign affairs respectively, under the government of President Evo Morales who served as campaign chief for the MAS.
Evo Morales denounces the coup d’état the government and military is preparing.
Lauca Eñe-RKC-7-08-20.- Former Bolivian president Evo Morales Ayma, speaking to Radio Kawsachun Coca on the occasion of the 195th anniversary of the Armed Forces, denounced that according to his information, the government and the military are preparing a coup d’état to prevent the holding of general elections.
“Last minute information, I denounce that General Ivan Ortiz Bravo, head of the third department of the Armed Forces Command, on the instruction of the commander in chief of the Armed Forces, General (Sergio Carlos Orellana), has a coup d’état plan, for some two months, the military patriots informed me that they want to form a civil and military government, now, and they have that plan” he said.
He added that two US planes arrived a few days ago, bringing military equipment, “we don’t know if it’s a donation or a purchase, the army’s immediate response team has been mobilized” he added.
He also reiterated the accusation he made last week that snipers from the Challapata and Sanandita regiments were deployed, which he said were in the tropics and in the city of El Alto.
The former president warned that the government decided to remove the blockade; “yesterday the de facto government again prepared a supreme decree for the armed forces and police to intervene in blockades, especially in the tropics of Cochabamba and Yapacani, using 22 and 25 calibre weapons, and then to say that the demonstrators killed each other,” he said, alerting the organizations mobilized in the country.
“I have this information because there are soldiers who are not with the coup d’état, they are new generations, sons and daughters of the people, I call on them to be with their people, with their fathers, don’t risk the lives of the soldiers, and officers, They have so many people infected with the coronavirus, COSMIL has totally collapsed, and to obey a de facto government with the repression against the people, once again they have a decree ready, I don’t know if they have signed it, until last night it was ready, just like they prepared a decree for the massacre in Sacaba and Senkata.
Morales said that according to the report he has, they are preparing to take over the installations of Radio Kawsachun Coca. “They want to take over the media that reports the truth and that gives us coverage,” he said in time to ask the bases to organize themselves into defense committees or vigils, to defend the community radio stations in particular.
Addressing the military he said, “To the soldiers of the country who accompanied me to guarantee the nationalizations, the economic project, I congratulate you on your day, to the patriotic military who are in the barracks who are thinking of their people the most, to liberate them and not to subdue them, not to repress them, repression is synonymous with domination, synonymous with foreign invasion, the armed forces have to guarantee the sovereignty and independence of the state, the dignity and integrity of the people, armed forces that do not guarantee sovereignty and independence, make a country a colony of the United States so that they can plunder the natural resources, which is why I conclude that the patriotic military, the soldiers of the fatherland who are at the service of their people, together with their people, have a thousand congratulations”.
We covered the military coup that took place in Bolivia back in November 2019 when Evo Morales was ousted, was removed by the military and through support of the United States with their uh cold war organization known as the OAS, the Organization of American States. So essentially, just to give you a very quick brief background of what happened, Morales had been running the country for about 13 years if I’m not mistaken, and there was a referendum on whether presidents should have term limits or not. Okay, the the people voted that yes you should have term limits. However, Morales appealed this at the supreme court and the Bolivian supreme court said that, nope, there are no term limits, you can run, so he did and he won.
And you had people in this um right-wing opposition in Bolivia and the OAS, the organization of American States which is a cold war era institution based in Washington DC, receives most of its funding from Washington DC, they made these false allegations that the election results were rigged. Okay, because Morales needed a 10% overhead to avoid a runoff and they essentially accused him of fraud and then all of a sudden you had government buildings being burnt down, you had even his sister’s house being burnt down. He refused to,, to resign because he had won the election legitimately. In the end, he was forced to flee.
He fled to Mexico and I think now he’s in Argentina and what’s really interesting. is in December, so this is after the coup, he sat down with Glenn Gruenwald and even back then at the time, he told him straight up, he told him straight up, that the real reason behind this coup was about Bolivia’s resources. Okay, so Bolivia has extraordinary amounts and reserves of lithium, now let me just show you this this clip very quickly from that interview.
We know we know that there was no election fraud this this report that was issued by the OAS saying that there were inconsistencies with the results and that Morales had rigged the election. It’s all complete bs, yet at the time as as expected all of the mainstream media news outlets, in the wes,t framed it as oh look the Bolivian people are standing up for their liberation against the corrupt Morales regime and he falsified the results of the election, they’re illegitimate the OAS verified this. And, oopsie, a few months later, the New York times admits that oh they got it wrong, it turns out that the election wasn’t rigged and you know they made some miscalculations when they crunched the numbers, something I also covered a few months ago, right.
A bitter election accusations of fraud and now second thoughts. See, same thing, same thing that they did with Iraq ,they kept pushing this propaganda that Iraq had WMDs over and over and over again you know, even Condoleezza Rice writing a piece in there making the case for war, and then, uh, after they’ve already invaded Iraq and destroyed it, the New York times are like, oh oops, yeah you know maybe we should have been a bit more vigilant or something you know and done our jobs.
So it’s very important for you to understand what’s at play here. These lithium reserves are no joke. One week, just one week before this coup, turns out Evo Morales had cancelled an agreement that Bolivia had made with a German company. All right now, this German company is called ACI Systems Alemanya. Morales, on November 4th, cancelled the December 2018 agreement with Germany’s ACISA after weeks of protests from residents of the Potosi area. The region has fifty percent to seventy percent of the world’s lithium reserves in the SALADI salt flats and surprise surprise among other clients ACI provides batteries to, Tesla.
Tesla’s stock rose Monday after the weekend and it didn’t just rise in the immediate aftermath of the coup, oh no, it’s been rising ever since. It’s actually risen 600 percent. Tesla stock was valued somewhere around 250 dollars a share just before the coup, now it’s around 1 500. and that’s no coincidence, that’s the global markets reacting to the wonderful imperial news that Elan Musk can now plunder Bolivia’s resources. Now this is a promotional video from Bolivia’s state lithium company one year before the coup. [Music] [Music]
I mean this thing is enormous. Okay, you can you can see it from space these, these salt flats are absolutely enormous we’re talking about tremendous wealth and Morales’ plan, which has been his policy throughout his tenure, is to redistribute the wealth to the people. So this is from Common Dreams, “the nationalization policy of the Morales government and the geographical complexity of salarioni chased away several transnational mining firms from France and FMC from the US and Pasco from south Korea could not make deals with Bolivia so now they operate in Argentina. Morales made it clear that any development of the lithium had to be done with Bolivia’s Comibol, its national mining company, and YLB its national lithium company as equal partners”, meaning you’re not just going to come in here with your multinational transnational companies and screw over Bolivia and the Bolivian people. Morales’ plan from the beginning has been very clear, transnational multinational companies are not allowed to come into Bolivia rip off Bolivia’s resources, screw over the Bolivian people, and then keep plundering unconditionally.
When corporations realize that they were not going to be able to screw over the country they went to Argentina, they went to Chile; not only did these right-wing oligarchs work with the OAS and the United States to get rid of Morales, but on top of it, the interim president Janine Anies openly has invited Elon Musk to come to Bolivia and essentially help plunder their resources. The de facto administration of Janine Anies has already announced its plan to invite numerous multinationals into the vast salt flats in Potosi which holds the precious soft metal. Meanwhile a letter from the coup regime’s foreign minister to Elon Musk dated March 31st says quote, “any cooporation that you or your company can provide to our country will be gratefully welcomed” unquote.
So, this new interim government, this right-wing regime which organized a military coup against Morales, is openly, brazenly inviting these disgusting imperialist multinationals to come into Bolivia and plunder their resources. You call that liberation, you call that democracy, wow. This entire coup, this fascist right-wing coup, has absolutely zero, nothing to do with quote-unquote democracy, or doing anything positive for the Bolivian people. And one of the people standing to profit from this is none other than Elon Musk who owns Tesla who make electric cars and need a large supply of lithium for their batteries.
I want to show you just something that he posted on twitter. So he says another government stimulus package is not in the best interests of the people in my opinion. Which is funny coming from him after he received tons of money from the government in the form of corporate handouts, but okay, and then Armani tells him, you know what wasn’t in the best interest of the people, the US government organizing a coup against Evo Morales in Bolivia so you could obtain the lithium there, and look what it says. We will coup whoever we want, deal with it.
I mean, if you needed any more proof that this guy is an imperialist, capitalist son of a bitch look no further. Not only, not only does his family’s wealth come from apartheid, come from these emerald mines in South Africa, but on top of it, he refused to shut down his Tesla factory during the pandemic risking his workers lives, and then he’s openly admitting now that the coup in Bolivia was so that he could get his hands on the lithium needed for batteries and Tesla cars, zero shame, zero shame.
Are we surprised, are we surprised? This has become part of the norm now, they don’t even bother hiding it, you know Trump also brazenly openly says, look we’re in Syria for the oil, yeah we’re in Syria for the oil. He just openly admits it and this clown over here, this imperialist pig openly admitting that Morales was removed so they could get their hands on the lithium, not even trying to hide it. Man absolutely disgusting and it’s not, it’s not the only thing, what do you think is going on in the Congo as well? You ever heard of koltan? They use children to mine that stuff. He has no shame, this guy has absolutely no shame.
What is absolutely staggering is the willful ignorance, the denial by a large swath of people that this is real, like to them this is some kind of joke, like as if the United States has never intervened and illegally bombed other countries and occupied them with their military in order to steal and plunder their resources. Like the United Fruit Company of Guatemala or going into Iraq for the oil which is now controlled by US multinationals. I mean this is nothing new, what a shameless piece of shit!
So I want to, I want to show you the response from Evo Morales himself. Okay, so what he says and this is, this is a loosely translated, so you’ll forgive me, but he says that Elon Musk, the owner of the largest electric car factory says, regarding the coup in Bolivia, that we will coup whoever we want, which is even more proof that the coup was for Bolivia’s lithium and two massacres for payment, we will always defend our resources
I mean, the treatment, what they did to this dude is absolutely unbelievable. US imperialism knows no bounds, it is absolutely completely shameless and once again it’s not new, right, not just the United Fruit Company or the the oil in Iraq, I mean even uh a Patrice in Congo was assassinated. Eisenhower ordered him assassinated because he wanted to bring in Soviet troops and, at the time during the arms race during the cold war, getting your hands on uranium getting your hands on the necessary ingredients to make nuclear bombs, you would have had Russia and Congo monopolizing that essentially.
So it’s always about resources, make no mistake, and the same thing when the Egyptian president Abdel Nasser tried to nationalize the Suez Canal. He was attacked by the UK, by Israel, by France like how dare you control your own resources and distribute the wealth among your own people! No no no no, we the western powers we gotta come in and take over everything. Make no mistake, when Israel occupies the Golan heights illegally it’s not just a military strategic point, it’s also to get their hands on the oil, it’s to get their hands on the water even has snow up there, yeah they go skiing they have nice little ski resorts on Syrian land.
It’s always about the resources, but then they want to come and tell you that it’s about democracy and then they want to come and tell you it’s about human rights and then they want to come and tell you it’s about election integrity; it’s got zero to do with that and they’re just not even hiding it anymore it’s right there in plain sight, right there in plain sight man. That is totally okay for the United States to back right wing armed opposition groups to conduct military coups, overthrow democratically elected presidents and plunder the resources of other countries in the global south because white man said so. Absolutely shameless, this is why you always got to pay attention. This is why you can’t trust these opposition groups that spring out of nowhere whether we’re talking about Guido or we’re talking about Anies or we’re talking about in Syria. The end result is US military bases and US corporations coming in, being given cache blanche a blank check to do whatever they like exert a military sphere of influence over the region, plunder the country’s resources and maintain a military occupation. Sounds a lot like colonization doesn’t it? And what’s his crime? Morales’ crime is being the first indigenous president and trying to redistribute the wealth among the people, their wealth; disgusting absolutely disgusting.
On November 10, Evo Morales, who served as president of Bolivia for 13 years and presided over extraordinary economic growth and a reduction of inequality praised even by his critics, announced that he was resigning the presidency under duress, with implicit threats from the Bolivian military. Morales later made clear that he viewed these events as a classic right-wing military coup of the kind that has plagued the continent for decades, explaining that he was removed from his position by force and then ultimately pressured by a police mutiny and military threats to flee his own country. Morales went to Mexico, where he was granted political asylum, and lived under heavy security in Mexico City until being granted refugee status in Argentina. On December 3, I sat with Morales in Mexico City for an hourlong interview that was wide-ranging in scope: not only about the events that led to his removal and exile from Bolivia, but also broader trends in regional and global politics, as well as the role played by the U.S. in Latin America.
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales speaks during a news conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 19, 2019. | Photo: Reuters
The political persecution of members of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party in Bolivia continues, this time three members received direct attacks on their physical integrity and the invasion of private property, including a kidnapping.
Since the coup d’état of Nov. 10, the de facto government in Bolivia has been carrying out political persecution against members of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party and its supporters, including its leader, the former president, now a political refugee in Argentina, Evo Morales.
On Friday, the attack on the physical integrity and property of three members related to the MAS party was made public, among them the kidnapping of Marcial Escalante, vice president of the Movement Toward Socialism-Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of the Peoples (MAS-IPSP) of Yapacani, in the department of Santa Cruz.
The Eco Alternativo Network of Argentina, made up of journalists who cover what is happening in Bolivia in the context of the coup, denounced the kidnapping of Escalante, claiming that plainclothes policemen entered his home at dawn on Friday and also they beat his wife and took some material objects.
Escalante was released on Friday afternoon and further details are unknown.
Meting with Morales in Argentina
The leader had attended a meeting with other members of the MAS party with Morales in Argentina, and it is presumed that this could be the reason for his kidnapping.
In another incident, the former personal and family assistant for Morales, Luis Hernan Soliz Morales was arrested in the city of La Paz, after the Public Prosecutor’s Office found phone calls that Soliz had received after Morales resigned from the presidency on Nov. 10, in the context of the mass protests following the coup.
Soliz’s lawyer said that his defendant’s house was raided and that no elements were found that could compromise him. He also said that the reason for the calls between the two involved were related to work pending before the resignation of Morales, he told Erbol, a local media outlet.
Meanwhile, the residence of the former Minister of the Presidency, Juan Ramon Quintana was searched by members of the police and prosecutors. He is charged with alleged crimes of sedition, terrorism and terrorist financing.
The former minister was not at home, and unofficially it is known that he would be at the Mexican embassy in Bolivia, as were other former authorities of the Morales administration.
This political persecution has its origin in the accusation of the de-facto government of Jeanine Añez last Nov. against Morales, who was accused of inciting violence from his asylum in Mexico, a country that first received him, during the demonstrations following the coup against his government.
The complaint is based on supposed evidence that includes a video in which a voice attributed to Morales is heard, but whose authenticity has only been demonstrated by a single way presented by the Añez government, and not by other independent sources.
Since then, the investigation process for the crimes of sedition and terrorism has been carried out throughout the country against militants and leaders of the MAS party.
This week the Prosecutor’s Office issued an arrest warrant against Morales, who was the first indigenous president in the history of the Andean country and is currently a refugee in Argentina.
They used to speak
of Bolivia’s bitter boulders,
its reclusive mountains,
its obstinate place among
the sombre sites of need,
and yet a nest for a flock
of hatchers of plots against
the bearers of the flag of hope.
And then, oh monstrous,
those hatchers eliminated forever
the physical presence of
a main blazer of that hope.
But what is this that
now in Bolivia in 2010 I see?
White-winged black, mixed or white cherubs,
far from anywhere in their Cuba,
lightened by the spirit of Che,
flitting, like astronauts in weightless training,
among sun-reflecting friendly boulders,
in accessed mountains of streams and greenery,
until they glide down to welcoming doors,
solicitous of occupants’ well-being,
translating questions absolutely new,
of ophthalmic diagnosis, or sorting out
anybody just plain not feeling well,
to lift them to the hospital in Yayagua.
There, next to Evo, the angel Dausá,
the ambassador, chief of cherubs,
gleaming, resplendent,
adorned as son of the sun
by the progeny of Tavantinsuyu,
toasting the erasure
and the correction.
(2010)
El progreso humano – Keith Ellis
Solían hablar
acerca de las piedras amargas de Bolivia,
sus montañas reclusas,
su lugar obstinado entre
los sombríos sitios de la adversidad;
y sin embargo un nido para una bandada
de hembras de complots contra
los portaestandartes de la esperanza.
Y luego, ¡oh monstruoso!,
esas hembras eliminaron para siempre
la presencia física de
un principal portador de esa esperanza.
Pero ¿qué es esto que
veo ahora en Bolivia en 2010?
Querubines negros, blancos o mestizos, de alas blancas,
lejos de cualquier sitio de su Cuba,
aligerados por el espíritu del Che,
revoloteando como cosmonautas en entrenamiento ingrávido,
entre rocas amistosas que reflejan el sol
en montañas asequibles de arroyos y verdura,
hasta que se deslizan a puertas acogedoras,
solícitos por el bienestar de los habitantes,
traduciendo preguntas absolutamente nuevas
de diagnóstico oftálmico, o elegiendo
a los que sencillamente no se sentían bien,
para transportarlos al hospital en Yayagua.
Allí, junto a Evo, el ángel Dausá,
el embajador, jefe de los querubines,
reluciente, refulgente,
adornado como hijo del sol
por la progenie de Tavantinsuyu,
celebrando la tachadura,
la corrección.
Argentinian government officials told right-wing press outlet Infobae that President Alberto Fernandez ratified his support and protection to Evo Morales and that they will not deliver him to judicial authorities in Bolivia.
Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez announced Thursday that his government “will not hand over for any reason” the former president of Bolivia Evo Morales who is in Buenos Aires under refugee status and who on Wednesday received an arrest warrant by the Bolivian Prosecutor’s Office, which accuses him of sedition and terrorism.
A senior official at the Casa Rosada (Argentina’s Government Resident) revealed to the national news outlet Infobae that the Argentinian president contacted Morales to give him his full support and assure him that his country will protect his physical integrity and prevent him from being handed over to the judicial authorities in Bolivia that currently is under the control of a de facto government.
“We are going to protect Evo Morales because it is appropriate to do so as a political refugee and because the entire request for detention is a farce,” another government official told Infobae.
On Wednesday morning, the Bolivian Prosecutor’s Office issued a warrant for the arrest of Morales “for the alleged commission of the crimes of sedition, terrorism and the financing of terrorism.”
The order deals with the accusation of the de facto government of Jeanine Añez last Nov. against Morales, who was accused of inciting violence from his asylum in Mexico, a country that first received him, during the demonstrations following the coup against his government.
The complaint is based on supposed evidence that includes a video in which a voice attributed to Morales is heard, the authenticity of which has been challenged by critics as it has only been presented by the Añez government, and not by other independent sources.
For the Argentinian government, Morales will continue to have immunity and diplomatic protection because he is a refugee and they will not accept his arrest within Argentinian territory, so it was determined that the security of the ex-president who until a few days ago had only two police officers, would be increased, Argentinian officials told Infobae.
Also, the Fernandez government through its Foreign Ministry is analyzing the request for arrest from Bolivia in order to submit a legal response for the rejection of this order.
For his part, Morales, through his Twitter account, denounced on Wednesday that the order against him is “unjust, illegal and unconstitutional” and said he was not afraid of threats and that he will continue to fight for a free and sovereign Bolivia.
Morales resigned on Nov. 10 after protests that accused him of alleged fraud in the elections of Oct. 20 and which were led by the right-wing opposition, the civic committees and which ended in a coup d’etat after pressure from the armed forces and the intervention of the Organization of American States (OAS).
Evo Morales denounces the coup d’état the government and military is preparing.
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales speaks during a news conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 19, 2019. | Photo: Reuters
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