The Bolivian government has denied accusations made by former president Evo Morales that it orchestrated a targeted attack against him. Morales claimed that his car was shot at multiple times on Sunday night in the Cochabamba region, which he denounced as an assassination attempt. However, Bolivia’s Interior Minister, Eduardo del Castillo, stated that Morales’ convoy had evaded an anti-drug patrol, during which his security team fired at police and hit an officer. Morales is currently in a power struggle with President Luis Arce over the candidacy for the Movement for Socialism (Mas) party in the upcoming election. In response to the incident, Morales shared a video on social media showing bullet holes in the car’s windshield where he was seated. A faction of the Mas party, supportive of Morales, claimed that unknown individuals in black attire had shot at the vehicle near a military barracks and blamed President Arce’s administration. Contradicting this, del Castillo asserted in a press conference that Morales’ convoy had fired at police and ran over an officer during a routine highway patrol by an anti-drug unit. He dismissed Morales’ claims as a staged performance. Morales refuted this version of events, stating that he was shot at more than 18 times and had only returned fire after being attacked by the police. Morales, who served as president from 2006 to 2019, is currently facing legal challenges, including allegations of statutory rape and human trafficking, which he denies. His supporters have been blocking major roads and clashing with law enforcement for weeks. Morales argues that these accusations are part of a right-wing conspiracy against him by the interim president who took over after his resignation in 2019 amidst allegations of electoral fraud. Both Morales and Arce have loyal supporters who are willing to demonstrate their allegiance through street protests and occasional violence.
