LA PAZ: Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales said gunmen fired a hail of bullets at his car on Sunday as he traveled to a radio interview in the central city of Cochabamba, injuring his driver, sustaining head injuries.
He described the attack as a deliberate assassination attempt. “The car in which I arrived has 14 bullet holes,” Morales said, adding: “This was planned. The idea was to kill Evo.”
Video footage shared by Kawsachun Coca, the radio station hosting Morales, showed a pickup truck with three bullet holes in the windshield, with blood visible on the driver’s head.
Morales pointed to his former ally, current President Luis Arce, as responsible for the attack. The two leaders, once close, have become rivals, with Morales accusing Arce of trying to “destroy Bolivia” and eliminate Morales’ political influence.
Morales has openly opposed Arce’s policies, particularly as both are expected to compete for the ruling MAS party nomination in the August 2025 presidential election, though Morales himself is legally barred from running.
The 65-year-old Morales, a former coca farmer and Bolivia’s first Indigenous president, led the country from 2006 until his controversial resignation in 2019. His attempt to bypass constitutional limits to secure a fourth term led to allegations of election fraud, causing him to lose military support and flee to Mexico. Morales returned to Bolivia in 2020, aiming to reestablish his political presence.
Morales is currently under investigation for alleged crimes, including rape and human trafficking, related to an alleged relationship with a 15-year-old girl in 2015.
In recent weeks, Morales’ supporters have staged protests, blocking key roads across Bolivia. Arce’s government has responded by implementing military leadership changes on Saturday, intended to restore order amid growing civil unrest.
Lawmaker Anyelo Cespedes, a Morales ally, voiced his suspicions about the recent attack, citing video footage of a helicopter leaving Cochabamba airport shortly after the incident with six unidentified individuals onboard.
“We do not know for sure if they are military or police, but all they really want to do is assassinate Evo Morales,” Cespedes told AFP, adding, “Yesterday they overhaul the military leadership, and today they try to kill Evo Morales.”
