Political Exiles Excluded from Upcoming Elections in Bolivia

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The overthrown president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, and other exiled members of his government may not run or vote in the new elections to be held on May 3rd 2020.

Given that he and his party members are abroad, they are denied any participation as they are unable to update their entry on the electoral roll.

The Bolivian High Electoral Court (TSE) has decided that “due to time constraints”, voter registration and updating on the electoral roll is reserved for voters in Bolivia and not for Bolivians abroad who are equally eligible to vote.

Those who have already voted abroad in last year’s elections will also be able to take part in the next round of voting.

Nevertheless, the president of the TSE, Salvador Romero, promised clean elections on Tuesday: “The electoral body will be independent and impartial and technically reliable in order to prevent disruptions in the period leading up to election day, on election day itself or in subsequent periods,” he said when introducing his body’s annual work plan.

Romero announced that three major election monitoring missions are planned. The Organization of American States (OAS) is invited to attend.

According to Romero, a further election monitoring mission will be sent by American countries, although he did not provide further details on its members. The third group of monitors was expected to come from the European Union. The OAS and the EU either endorsed or accepted the internationally criticized overturning of the suspect election of Evo Morales.

The vice-president of the six coca farmers’ associations of the Cochabamba region, Andrónico Rodríguez, strongly criticized the circumstances of the new election.

According to Rodríguez, there are no democratic guarantees for the elections of parliament and state leadership that have been announced, as the de facto government is running a smear campaign in an attempt to discredit the leadership of his party, the Movement for Socialism (MAS), and exclude it from the elections.

Rodríguez added that there were “many reasons” for resuming social mobilizations after January 22nd while making it clear that it was not up to him to decide.

The issue will be debated at a meeting of organizations supporting MAS on January 11th. “The de facto government is not abiding by agreements or commitments that have been signed,” he said in an interview with the radio station of the coca farmers, Kausachun Coca.

Rodríguez pointed out that concessions were made by both sides at the end of the protests following the downfall of Morales’ government. However, the government under Senator Jeanine Áñez has failed to keep to the agreements, Rodríguez said.

Meanwhile, Evo Morales is organizing his campaign from the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. Dozens of MAS officials, trade unionists and representatives of social movements meet with him daily to discuss political strategy for the parliamentary and presidential elections on May 3rd.

The MAS candidacies, which will be announced on January 19th, are also being discussed. Three days later, on January 22nd, Evo Morales intends to launch his campaign at the Spanish Stadium in Buenos Aires during a massive event – the first since he resigned under pressure on November 10th last year.

Fifteen thousand people are expected to attend. The MAS presidential candidates are also to be announced on that day.