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According to projections of the results in the Bolivian elections, Luis Arce, the former minister of Evo Morales, is emerging as the next president of Bolivia.
At the end of the voting carried out this Sunday, the survey by the research company Cies Mori and the quick count study of the consortium Your vote counts indicate that the applicant obtained more than 52% of the preference.
And both the interim president, Jeanine Áñez, and the main rival candidate of Morales’s party, Carlos Mesa, they recognized the triumph of Arce although they asked to wait for the official results.
Until early Tuesday morning, the Plurinational Electoral Body of Bolivia, in charge of the official count, was computing less than 51% of the voting records.
Even if the votes reach Luis Arce to win in the first round, he will find himself in a deeply divided country.
The divisions can be traced to 2016, when then-President Evo Morales held a referendum to ask Bolivians if they wanted to modify their Constitution so that he would run again in the 2019 presidential elections, for a fourth term.
His compatriots they voted for no.
Morales’s party, the Movement to Socialism (MAS), took the issue to the Plurinational Constitutional Court (TCP) of Bolivia and in November 2017, this body annulled the referendum and removed the limits on presidential re-election.
Morales ran for reelection in 2019 and initially, the quick vote count projected a second round between him and his then rival, Carlos Mesa.
But the scrutiny was abruptly stopped after 24 hours. When it resumed, the results gave the then president the winner in the first round.
Arce is seen by some as the dolphin of Evo Morales. IMAGE SOURCE: ANADOLU AGENCY
The change in the trend unleashed strong protests in Bolivia, due to suspicions of irregularities in the vote.
Morales resigned on November 10, 2019 and left the country. The then Vice President of the Senate, Jeanine Áñez, took office as interim president.
At the end of this note, Evo Morales was still in Argentina, from where he has insisted on returning to Bolivia as soon as Luis Arce is confirmed as president.
The BBC’s Newshour program spoke with Luis Arce.
Here is a transcript of the interview.
How do you plan to unite such a divided country?
From my point of view, the only thing that is divided is the interests that people have.
When you see that a country is divided between politics, or parties or whatever, all of that is just class interests.
But because of the pandemic, everyone began to feel that the economy is not doing well, that there is something wrong, that the neoliberal model that they implemented in November 2019 is not doing well.
People had more benefits with our model. So the interests are turning more to the social side than to the right wing, which wants to stay in the neoliberal model, where the benefits go to the entrepreneurs and the rich.
You have explained that there is a profound economic and philosophical difference between you and your opponents. I understand that. But you must also accept that there is a profound lack of trust on the part of those who do not support you and the MAS and Evo Morales. They believe that the fact that he said that he will return shows that there was an abuse of power and that there was corruption. How are you going to persuade them that it is going to be different this time?
Look. Corruption has been created in this government of a right-wing party, so corruption is not the key to the differences between the two ideas about the Bolivian state.
In what we have differences is in what we do with the state …
Luis Arce would assume the presidency of a very divided country. IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES
Just to be clear, Mr. Arce, excuse me for interrupting. But there were many cases of corruption during Morales’ years in power. It would be a bit difficult to ensure that there was no corruption.
Nerd. I am not saying there was no corruption. We even sent a MAS militant who had stolen from the hydrocarbon company to jail.
But in this government we also find corruption and the subject is still there, nobody did anything, so there is a difference.
Butyoun so there will be many people in Bolivia who will say that the most evident abuse of power was in 2016, when Evo Morales held a referendum in which he asked: “Would you, the Bolivian people, want to abolish the limits on presidential terms?” And people clearly said no, so he decided to take that decision to court, which annulled it and then, as you know, in 2019, the elections, in which he participated, were very controversial.had in the terms in which it wasRon handleds and for allegations of fraud. So my question is: how are you going to persuade these people who doubt your credentials that you will act freely and fairly?
Well, there are two things. I can’t help speaking of what you said as fact, because there are no facts, you know.
The MAS is a majority party and the votes yesterday demonstrate this very clearly. We are the majority. More than 50%.
Of course, last year there was no fraud. It was a coup by the right-wing parties, which can never beat us in elections. The only way they can come to power is by a coup.
Second, what are we going to do with the people [que duda] we will try to talk with them and we will try to build some bridges between what they want to do and what we need to do, to overcome all these crises that the right-wing parties have created in my country.
The polls give Carlos Mesa second place in the elections this Sunday. IMAGE SOURCE: REUTERS
When do you expect Evo Morales to return to Bolivia?
I don’t know, you have to ask him.
You must have talked to him.
Yeah, but I’m not him, you know.
What has he said to you? We see reports that you are saying that once you are confirmed as the president, he will return the next day. Is that correct?
Well, he said that. But now is the day after the election and he is not here in Bolivia.
Clear. But the reason I ask this question is that a lot of people are asking if, in some sense –I don’t want to be disrespectful, but that’s what people are asking– if you are going to be yourself or if you are going to be the useful puppet of Evo Morales.
I’m not going to be disrespectful either, but I’ve said it many times: I’m not Evo Morales. I am not Evo Morales.
Jeanine Áñez assumed the interim presidency of Bolivia after the resignation of Evo Morales, in November 2019. IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES
Obviously, he is a very powerful figure. He has a large group of followers. He has said “I feel that my task now is to dedicate myself to the experience of the struggles of forming new leaders.” It seems that he is very interested in wielding power in some way.
We said that we had to have renewal in the MAS, for young people. If Evo Morales wants to help us, he will be very welcome. But it does not mean that Morales will be in government. It will be my government. If you want to go back to Bolivia and help us, there is no problem.
He is going to decide. I’m not going to decide for him.
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