Evo Morales Will Return to Bolivia on November 9

On October 27, in a television interview, Senator Andrónico Rodríguez of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party, informed that former president Evo Morales will return to Bolivia on November 9, a day after Luis Arce and David Choquehuanca of the MAS are sworn in as president and vice president.

Rodríguez also said that two days later, on November 11, former president Morales will go to the Tropic of Cochabamba, where he will be based. Rodríguez recalled that last year on that day, November 11, the president was forced to leave his country after the civic-military coup was carried out against him. In this regard, he announced that a massive mobilization will be held to receive “the historic leader” on the “historic day” in Cochabamba. Likewise, he said that he hopes that on the 9th the whole country will hold a great mobilization to celebrate Morales’ return.

During the election campaign, on several occasions, president Morales had expressed his will to return to his country if his party, the MAS, won the October 18 general elections, which it did with a landslide victory of the Arce-Choquehuanca presidential ticket. This Monday, on October 26, his path was opened when a judge annulled the lawsuit filed and the arrest warrant issued against him for the alleged crimes of sedition and terrorism.

The president of the Departmental Court of Justice of La Paz, Jorge Quino, reported that the First Criminal Investigation Judge, Román Castro, accepted a request by Morales’ defense for annulment of charges against him, considering that his fundamental rights were violated. The complaint against Morales was presented by the interior minister of the coup-born far-right regime, Arturo Murillo, a few days after the coup, who accused Morales for stirring unrest in the country in the weeks following his resignation.

Meanwhile, yesterday, on October 27, the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) of Bolivia presented accreditations to the newly elected members of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly: 130 deputies, 36 senators and 6 supra-state assembly members. Due to the health protocols in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony took place in two shifts: in the morning for the incumbents and in the afternoon for the alternates. The event was held in the auditorium of the Central Bank of Bolivia (BCB). President-elect Luis Arce and vice-president-elect David Choquehuanca will receive their corresponding accreditations today, on October 28 and will assume office on November 8.

The president-elect has already announced some measures to reverse the economic and social crisis caused due to the pandemic such as food vouchers to the poor population and introduction of a new wealth & property tax. With regards to the human rights violations committed by the coup regime, he has assured that he will open investigations into the massacres of Sacaba and Senkata. Additionally, Arce has also announced plans to restore relations with Cuba, Venezuela & Iran, destroyed under the coup regime due to the realignment of Bolivia’s foreign policy according to the United States’ interests.

This article was first published in Peoples Dispatch.