Bolivia's ex-President faces arrest over alleged relationship with minor
Bolivia's former president Evo Morales is under an arrest warrant issued in October for the "human trafficking" of a 15-year-old girl. The prosecutors allege that Morales fathered a child with the minor in 2016. However, the warrant has not been executed due to safety concerns for police officers. Morales is currently under the protection of coca growers in Cochabamba, a rural region where he lives.
Morales refutes allegations, accuses current president of 'lawfare'
Morales, who was Bolivia's president from 2006 to 2019, has denied the allegations. He says they are part of a "brutal judicial war" led by current President Luis Arce. The former president accuses Arce of using "lawfare" to stop his candidacy in the 2025 elections and hand him over to the United States as a "trophy of war." Both politicians belong to the leftist Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas) party but have turned rivals.
Bolivia's political and economic crisis deepens
Bolivia is in the throes of a deep political and economic crisis, with a sharp decline in its natural gas reserves. This has caused a severe economic decline, including a shortage of US dollars and a steep decline in imports such as fuel and food. "Economic crises usually lead to massive political fractures," said Angus McNelly from King's College London. The unusual part of Bolivia's situation, he noted, is that all this political polarization is happening within Mas itself.
Morales's defiance amid legal and political challenges
Despite a Supreme Court ruling that he cannot run in the upcoming elections, Morales is adamant on contesting the presidency. The arrest warrant against him is valid for six months. Prosecutors allege the parents of the alleged victim sought political advancement by sending their daughter to Morales's youth brigade in 2015. A year later, she gave birth to a baby, of whom it is alleged that Morales is the father.
