Bolivia braces for turmoil as antigovernment protesters begin march

‘March to Save Bolivia’: Ex-President Morales challenges erstwhile state and incumbent President Arce successful governmental showdown.

A simmering governmental conflict betwixt erstwhile allies is threatening to boil implicit into an all-out conflict for powerfulness aft Bolivia’s fashionable and arguable former leftist president, Evo Morales, called connected supporters to instrumentality to the streets successful protestation against existent President Luis Arce.

Morales announced a weeklong “March to Save Bolivia” connected Monday aft Arce accused him connected nationalist TV of trying to overthrow his authorities successful a coup attempt.

Antigovernment protesters blocked roads connected the outskirts of the capital, La Paz, connected Tuesday, calling for Arce’s resignation owed to his mismanagement of the economy.

Supporters besides blocked roads starring to Lake Titicaca, shared by Bolivia and Peru and a fashionable tourer destination.

“It’s an incompetent authorities that we have, and it won’t lick the economical crisis,” said Pablo Merma, a peasant person of the alleged Red Ponchos, rebel Indigenous activists from the precocious plains, who was among the protesters.

Morales: a disgraced erstwhile strongman

Bolivia’s governmental and economical crisis, sparked by substance shortages and dwindling overseas currency reserves, has caused immoderate Bolivians to turn nostalgic for the disgraced erstwhile strongman who famously reduced poverty portion successful office.

Although Arce was Morales’s erstwhile system curate and his campaigner successful Bolivia’s 2020 elections, the erstwhile allies began vying for powerfulness aft Morales returned from exile seeking to marque a governmental comeback.

Alleged coup attempt

Over the past year, the Arce-Morales rift has polarised Bolivia, tainting the country’s authorities and creating a consciousness of turmoil that soldiers sought to prehend upon successful June successful a bizarre expected coup attempt.

Speaking to reporters, Morales encouraged the planetary assemblage to travel his adjacent 200km (124-mile) march on a road from the southeast colony of Caracollo to La Paz.

“The march is the effect of a radical fed up with their unthinking government, which has maintained implicit soundlessness successful the look of the crisis, corruption and the demolition of stability,” Morales wrote connected the societal media level X.

Morales made his entreaty to Bolivia’s farmers, miners and peasants connected Monday aft an unprecedented televised code by Arce precocious connected Sunday, successful which helium lambasted his erstwhile mentor.

Arce accused Morales of trying to sabotage his medication and undermine democracy, escalating a high-stakes powerfulness conflict that has pushed Bolivia to the brink.

“Enough, Evo!” Arce exclaimed connected authorities TV. “Until now, I person tolerated your attacks and slander successful silence. But putting the lives of radical astatine hazard is thing I cannot tolerate.”

Bolivian erstwhile President (2006-2019) Evo Morales Ayma (C) waves during the alleged ‘March to Save Bolivia’ -against his erstwhile ally, leftist person Luis Arce- successful Caracollo, state of Oruro, 200 km southbound of La Paz, Bolivia, connected September 17, 2024. [Aizar Raldes / AFP]

“Democracy astatine risk”

Arce, who has faced a bid of mounting crises with his governing enactment riven by disagreements, alleged that Morales’s attempts to mobilise enactment and tally against Arce successful adjacent year’s statesmanlike predetermination were “putting ideology astatine risk.”

“You are threatening the full country,” Arce said, claiming that Morales sought to instrumentality to powerfulness by “means just oregon foul”.

His melodramatic code successful the Andean federation of 12 cardinal dredged up the chaos and bloodshed of 2019, erstwhile Morales ran for an unconstitutional 3rd term and won. After accusations of fraud led to wide protests, Morales resigned nether unit from the army, successful what his supporters telephone a coup.

At slightest 36 radical were killed successful the ensuing crackdown by information forces.

Morales, who served arsenic Bolivia’s archetypal Indigenous president from 2006-2019, was highly fashionable until helium tried to bypass the constitution and question a 4th term.

Ever since the law tribunal past twelvemonth barred the charismatic person from the race, coca cultivators, Indigenous tribes and workers person travel to his defence with thoroughfare protests, marches and roadworthy blockades.

Another protestation leader, Ponciano Santos, warned Arce that the societal question would clasp him liable for immoderate happened connected Tuesday.

“If you teardrop state us, if you interfere with our march, the authorities volition fall,” Santos told reporters.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies