Andrónico Rodríguez during his candidacy proclamation in Yapacaní, department of Santa Cruz. Photo: FB/@AndronicoRodriguez.
During his proclamation ceremony in the town of Yapacaní, in the eastern region of Santa Cruz, the president of the Bolivian senate and presidential candidate for the Popular Alliance, Andrónico Rodríguez, called for unity among the entire left in the country for the next general elections, scheduled for August 17.
“The political adversary is the right wing, which wants to privatize, nullify, and destroy what has been built with so much effort so long ago … Brothers and sisters, no more fighting among comrades, unity above all, unity of the entire political left,” Rodríguez urged in his speech.
This call for unity is specifically directed at former minister of government Eduardo del Castillo, who is the candidate for the ruling Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), and at the mayor of El Alto, Eva Copa, candidate for the National Renewal Movement (Morena).
Rodríguez’s candidacy proclamation in Yapacaní was preceded by an attempted confrontation between his followers and those close to former President Evo Morales, although the incident did not escalate. He also insisted that some colleagues perceive everyone as enemies and warned that if this continues, “they’ll even fight with their own shadows.”
Currently, Andrónico Rodríguez is the best-positioned candidate in the latest polls published among the three contenders identified with the left, surpassing Del Castillo and Copa. However, he is running third in the polls behind two right wing candidates.
Rodríguez’s decision to run on his own contributed to the fragmentation of the ruling MAS party, which was already divided by the dispute between Evo Morales and President Luis Arce. He is perceived by many as a Luis Arce operator in his attempt to dissuade the Bolivian people from voting for Evo Morales.
Former President Evo Morales, who governed Bolivia for three terms, maintains his push on running for office, despite the Constitutional Court’s recent controversial ruling that presidential reelection is for a single consecutive term, with no possibility of a third term.
Faced with this situation, Morales supporters held roadblocks for several weeks in June in an attempt to force his candidacy to be registered with a party that was, in another controversial move, banned from putting forward candidates for these elections.
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Morales, who resigned from the MAS party after Luis Arce’s maneuver to divide the party, following recent legal persecution, is seeking to establish a new political movement, “Evo Pueblo,” although he has not yet begun the process of obtaining legal status.
Morales, according to many experts, is a victim of a lawfare initiated by Luis Arce, who in recent revelations has been linked to former justice minister Cesar Siles.
Recent news reports have shown evidence linking Arce’s wife to offshore wire transfers to Siles along with a direct link of his former ministry with a Supreme Court ruling banning the party that attempted to register Evo Morales’ candidacy, thus eliminating his chances to run as president.
(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/JB
