Protest nomination: Rallies of Morales supporters swept Bolivia
The Russian Embassy in Bolivia called on Russians to postpone trips to the Latin American country amid several days of protests organized by supporters of ex-President Evo Morales in the Cochabamba department. According to authorities, 13 police officers were injured in clashes with protesters on June 3 alone. The destabilization is taking place two and a half months before the presidential election, which Evo Morales was not allowed to attend. Experts are convinced that the right wing has a better chance in this electoral cycle, which may refuse to build close ties with the Russian Federation, which Bolivia is doing under the current leadership. Why the Russian Federation is closely monitoring the situation in this country and whether it will be possible to avoid a large—scale crisis in the run-up to the elections is in the Izvestia article.
Protests have not subsided in Bolivia for several days
The Russian diplomatic mission in Bolivia is closely monitoring the development of the situation in Bolivia, including the situation with protests by supporters of former President Evo Morales, Ambassador Dmitry Verchenko told Izvestia.
— According to government reports, on June 4, the third day of protests by supporters of Evo Morales, there are about 20 road closures. All of them are located in the Cochabamba department, where the headquarters of the former Bolivian leader is now located. Thanks to the timely intervention of law enforcement officers, it was possible to quickly "clear" highways in a number of other regions, and in some places to prevent the installation of roadblocks in advance," the diplomat said.
However, there were casualties. When dispersing the protesters on the highway between Sucre and Potosi, the police were forced to use special means, including tear gas, the ambassador noted. In response, stones and sticks were thrown at law enforcement officers. As a result, there are wounded on both sides.
According to the Bolivian authorities, 13 police officers were injured on June 3 alone. On the same day, 19 protesters were detained.
The main reason why supporters of Evo Morales take to the streets is the ban on his participation in the presidential elections on August 17. Initially, the ex-president was denied participation due to the fact that he held the presidency for three consecutive terms, which is contrary to the laws of the Latin American state. In addition, he left the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party, to which the current president Luis Arce belongs, and in Bolivia, in fact, it is impossible to be self-nominated in elections.
— In general, protests by supporters of Evo Morales and related closures of major highways, clashes with the police are not a new phenomenon in Bolivia. In 2024, there were already 10-day performances in January and 24-day performances in September and October. Another thing is that they are invariably associated with significant economic damage to an already poor country (up to $3 billion last year). In the context of the current crisis, protracted protest actions can worsen the situation even more," the Russian ambassador stressed.
According to the diplomatic mission, it is not only supporters of Evo Morales who are on strike now. The economic crisis that has engulfed the country, the shortage of fuel, the shortage of currency, inflation, and a significant rise in the price of basic consumer goods, including a food basket, have become a trigger that has brought large masses of people to the streets representing a wide variety of categories of citizens — from members of transport unions and agricultural workers to representatives of the poorest segments of the population.
Due to the difficult situation and the risk of its aggravation, the embassy recommends that Russians refrain from traveling to Bolivia in the near future.
— Those who planned to visit the country in the near future, it is better to wait until the situation stabilizes. This is due, among other things, to the possible disruption of the transport system: it is likely that highways will be closed for a long time, and flight schedules will be disrupted. To date, we have not received any reports of casualties among Russians in the country. Nevertheless, the embassy recommends that all compatriots closely monitor what is happening and remain vigilant," Dmitry Verchenko said.
According to some reports, about 2-3 thousand of our compatriots now live in Bolivia.
The situation on the eve of the presidential elections in Bolivia
Such protests, if they are protracted, can complicate both the course of the electoral process itself and subsequently make it difficult for individual citizens to exercise their right to vote, says the Russian ambassador.
Meanwhile, Bolivia is approaching the upcoming presidential elections in an already extremely difficult political situation. The final ballot will be presented on June 6, but it is already becoming clear that the representatives of the leftist forces who are in power have little chance of retaining it. In addition, the current leader of the country, Luis Arce, announced a few days before the end of candidate registration that he did not intend to run.
According to the first Ipsos Ciesmori poll, two opposition representatives are in the lead. Entrepreneur Samuel Doria Medina scored 19.1% in the survey. The 67-year-old politician belongs to the Social Democrats and represents moderate right-wing forces. He is campaigning under the slogan "100 days, damn it," because he expects to resolve the economic crisis in that time. There is a certain consonance with the slogan of the Argentine Javier Miley "Long live freedom, damn it!".
With 18.4%, former President Jorge Quiroga, who was in power from 2001 to 2002, when Hugo Banzer left office due to health problems, is in second place. 65-year-old Quiroga belongs to the radical right wing of Bolivian politics. His candidacy is supported from the United States, while inside the country there are oligarchs from among agrarians, financiers and merchants from the east of Bolivia.
Senator Andronico Rodriguez is in third place in the poll, and many consider him the political successor of Evo Morales. The candidate from the left received 14.2% in the poll. Meanwhile, the representative of the ruling party, former Minister of Security Eduardo Del Castillo, received only 2.3%.
— Unfortunately, the split of the ruling MAS party leaves little chance for the leftists to remain in power in Bolivia. The only representative of the leftist movement with relatively good ratings, Rodriguez, even if the second round takes place, has practically no chance of winning it. Of course, everything will be decided by a fluctuating population, but in the state of total destabilization in which the country finds itself due to the war between Morales and Arce, there is a great demand for stability - this is exactly what the right—wing candidates are offering, earning ratings against the background of monstrous tension in the left wing," Egor Yegor, director of the Hugo Chavez Latin American Center, explained to Izvestia Lidovskaya street.
According to the expert, both of the most likely winners (Medina and Quiroga) have repeatedly spoken out from anti-Russian positions, criticizing both the conduct of their elections and Russia's presence in Latin America as a partner. Earlier, Doria Medina also criticized Russia's participation in the development of lithium deposits, saying that agreements should be concluded with "the best companies", not Rosatom. In 2024, Quiroga opposed the expansion of the influence of the Russian Federation and China on Latin American countries, primarily Venezuela.
For Russia, Bolivia is an important trade and political partner in Latin America. The country is a member of the BRICS as a partner country. Russia and Bolivia have joint projects, including in the field of lithium. The destabilization of the political situation in the country, as well as the potential coming to power of a candidate who is not interested in strengthening relations with Moscow, would have a negative effect on Russian-Bolivian cooperation.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
