An Evo Morales supporter kicks a tear gas canister used by Bolivian police to repress those supporting Evo Morales registrations as candidate for the upcoming presidential elections. La Paz, Bolivia, on May 16, 2025. Photo: X/@evoespueblo.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—A massive march arrived in La Paz on Friday in support of former President Evo Morales. Police used tear gas to disperse protesters demanding his candidacy for the upcoming August 17 presidential elections. Demonstrators breached police cordons near the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), where authorities had blocked access to the building.
Clashes erupted near Abaroa Square in Sopocachi—home to the TSE—as tear gas targeted crowds advocating for Morales’ eligibility. Supporters rallying in Plaza Bolivia, five blocks from the TSE, were similarly dispersed.
Earlier, Morales announced on social media: “The second great March to Save Bolivia is now in La Paz. Sisters and brothers from across the country are marching peacefully for respect of their social, political, and economic demands.” He added: “With revolutionary spirit and loyalty to the people, we demand free, transparent elections.”
Morales also condemned political persecution of judges and the elimination of allied parties, stating: “We are not surprised by racist authorities accusing us of being violent. Time will prove our protest is peaceful, democratic, and Constitutional.”
Constitutional battle
A controversial Constitutional Court ruling, cited by the TSE [Bolivia’s electoral authority] on Friday, bars individuals who have held office twice from running again. Candidate registrations close May 19 at midnight, with the TSE announcing eligible candidates by June 6.
Many analysts claim that current Bolivian President Luis Arce has unduly influenced the Supreme Court’s recent rulings aiming to prohibit the candidacy of Evo Morales. Despite Arce’s recent announcement that he would not run for re-election—for the sake of unity—the recent developments show that unity in the Bolivian left may be difficult to achive, thereby increasing that chance that the country’s right-wing political forces may regain control of the Bolivia.
Bolivia’s President Arce Declines to Run for Reelection (+Andrónico Rodríguez)
TSE allows registration process, cites legal hurdles
Bolivia’s TSE stated Morales could apply for candidacy for the elections but stressed that his eligibility depends on compliance with the court’s ruling—a decision legal experts call unconstitutional, as the TSE permitted Morales’ third-term bid in 2019. Óscar Hassenteufel, interim TSE president, emphasized that nominees must adhere to the ruling despite its contested legality, as reported by Telesur.
Morales condemns repression
Following clashes, Morales condemned, on social media, how “thousands peacefully demanding democratic rights were brutally repressed. We urge international organizations to investigate state terrorism and unlawful arrests like that of Ponciano Santos, a CSUTCB leader.”
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SL
