A simmering political battle between former allies threatens to erupt into an all-out power struggle after Bolivia's popular and controversial leftist former president Evo Morales called on his supporters to take to the streets in protest against current President Luis Arce.
Morales announced a weeklong “March to Save Bolivia” on Monday after Arce accused him on national television of trying to overthrow his government in a coup attempt.
Anti-government protesters blocked roads on the outskirts of the capital La Paz on Tuesday, calling for Arce to resign over his mismanagement of the economy.
Supporters also blocked roads leading to Lake Titicaca, shared by Bolivia and Peru and a popular tourist destination.
“We have an incompetent government that will not resolve the economic crisis,” said Pablo Merma, a peasant leader of the so-called Ponchos Rojos, rebel indigenous activists from the highlands, who was among the protesters.
Morales: a disgraced former dictator
Bolivia's political and economic crisis, triggered by fuel shortages and dwindling foreign exchange reserves, has left some Bolivians nostalgic for the disgraced former dictator who made a name for himself by reducing poverty while in office.
Although Arce was Morales’ former economy minister and his candidate in Bolivia’s 2020 election, the former allies began jockeying for power after Morales returned from exile seeking a political comeback.
Alleged coup attempt
Over the past year, the dispute between Arce and Morales has polarized Bolivia, clouding the country's politics and creating a sense of unrest that soldiers sought to exploit in June in a bizarre alleged coup attempt.
Speaking to reporters, Morales encouraged the international community to continue his nearly 200-kilometer (124-mile) march along a highway from the southeastern town of Caracollo to La Paz.
“The march is the response of a people fed up with their thoughtless government, which has maintained absolute silence in the face of the crisis, corruption and the destruction of stability,” Morales wrote on the social media platform X.
Morales made his appeal to Bolivia's farmers, miners and peasants on Monday after an unprecedented televised speech by Arce on Sunday night, in which he criticized his former mentor.
Arce accused Morales of trying to sabotage his administration and undermine democracy, escalating a high-stakes power struggle that has pushed Bolivia to the brink of the abyss.
“Enough, Evo!” Arce exclaimed on state television. “Until now I have silently tolerated your attacks and slander. But putting people’s lives at risk is something I cannot tolerate.”
“Democracy at risk”
Arce, who has faced a series of escalating crises with his ruling party riven by disagreements, alleged that Morales' attempts to mobilize support and run against Arce in next year's presidential election were “putting democracy at risk.”
“They are threatening the entire country,” Arce said, claiming that Morales intended to return to power “by fair means or foul.”
His dramatic speech in the Andean nation of 12 million people brought to light the chaos and bloodshed of 2019, when Morales ran for an unconstitutional third term and won. After allegations of fraud led to mass protests, Morales resigned under pressure from the military, in what his supporters call a coup.
At least 36 people were killed in the crackdown by security forces that followed this incident.
Morales, who served as Bolivia's first indigenous president from 2006 to 2019, was extremely popular until he attempted to circumvent the constitution and seek a fourth term.
Since the Constitutional Court expelled the charismatic leader from the race last year, coca growers, indigenous tribes and workers have come to his defence with street protests, marches and roadblocks.
Another protest leader, Ponciano Santos, warned Arce that the social movement will hold him responsible for what happens on Tuesday.
“If they throw tear gas at us, if they interfere with our march, the government will fall,” Santos told reporters.
