bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

Exiled former president Evo Morales on Monday signalled his intention to return to Bolivia after his leftist heir Luis Arce’s sweeping presidential election victory.
Arce, a former economy minister under Morales, claimed victory in Sunday’s election after exit polls suggested a crushing triumph over centrist rival Carlos Mesa.
Mesa conceded on Monday, saying Arce’s 20-point margin of victory was “very forceful and very clear”.
“It is up to us, as befits those of us who believe in democracy … to recognise that there has been a winner in this election,” said Mesa, a former president.

Exit polls handed over 52 per cent of the vote to Arce, with Mesa mustering just 31.5 per cent – upending predictions he would force a second round run-off in November.
Private polling companies showed Arce winning by a similar margin. Official results are expected to take days.
Arce, 57, said his victory was a “return to democracy” for the divided South American country.
“We have recovered democracy and we will regain stability and social peace,” he said.
Much attention now focuses on Morales, whose authoritarian 14-year grip on power left a bitter aftertaste for many Bolivians outside his largely indigenous Movement for Socialism (MAS) party.


“Sooner or later we are going to return to Bolivia, that is not in debate,” Morales told a press conference in Buenos Aires.
“My great desire is to return to Bolivia and enter my region. It is a matter of time,” said Morales, who was ousted amid protests after his victory in 2019 elections was annulled over rigging allegations.
Morales resigned on November 10 after losing the support of the armed forces in the midst of the crisis that left 36 dead and hundreds wounded.
Thwarted in his attempt to secure a fourth term, he initially fled to Mexico, but has since settled in neighbouring Argentina after leftist Alberto Fernandez’s election victory there.
Bolivians celebrate after longest serving president Evo Morales resigns
Morales thanked Fernandez and Mexican President Manuel Andres Lopez Obrador for their support. He also hailed congratulatory messages from other leftist leaders, Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and former Uruguayan president Jose Mujica.
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez lauded a “people’s victory” that would “return justice and well-being to the brotherly Bolivian people. Viva Evo!”
Morales said he had even received a call from Argentine Pope Francis on Monday.
“I felt that I was not alone,” he said.

The office of UN chief Antonio Guterres lauded “highly participative and peaceful” elections, and encouraged political leaders to work together for national reconciliation.
Arce was credited as the architect of the country’s economic miracle under Morales, who became the country’s first indigenous president in 2006. Over the next decade he slashed poverty levels and modernised the country’s infrastructure, boosted by demand for Bolivia’s natural resources.
The election, twice postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, was the first in 20 years not to feature Morales, though he remained a looming presence.
Arce’s opponents had warned that a MAS victory would herald the return of the ex-president, who faces arrest in Bolivia on terrorism charges after the right-wing interim government accused him of directing anti-government protests from exile.
He is also being investigated for alleged “rape and trafficking” over allegations he had relationships with underage girls. Morales dismissed the accusations on Monday, saying they were “part of a dirty war” being waged against him.
Deadly clashes rock Bolivia after new interim president’s first day in office
Arce’s victory will bring to an end the year-long interim presidency of conservative Jeanine Anez, who withdrew from the race a month ago as criticism rose of her handling of the coronavirus pandemic that has left more than 8,400 people dead and infected 130,000.
Her government has been accused of intimidation of MAS party supporters and Morales’ associates.
Washington, which saw Anez’s government as a key regional ally, said it was awaiting the official results “but President Trump and the United States look forward to working with whomever the Bolivians elect”, a State Department spokesman said.
Landlocked Bolivia, one of the poorest countries in the region despite its rich natural resources, is experiencing its worst economic crisis in 40 years with GDP expected to contract by 6.2 per cent in 2020.


Mexico invites Spain’s king to World Cup in sign of thaw

Cuba’s leader vows ‘unbreakable resistance’ if US tries to take over island

Spain’s king acknowledges ‘much abuse’ in conquest of the Americas

Channeling Trump, Chile’s new president launches work on border barrier

Americas and the Caribbean

Evo Morales says he will return to Bolivia after ally’s election victory

Luis Arce (centre) of the Movement for Socialism celebrates with running mate David Choquehuanca (right) in La Paz, Bolivia on Monday. Photo: AFP

Women walk past a newspaper stand and a headline reading "Pollsters: Arce is the president-elect" , in La Paz, Bolivia October 19, 2020. REUTERS/Wara Vargas Lara NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES

Bolivian ex-president Evo Morales offers a press conference in Buenos Aires on October 19, 2020 a day after Bolivia held presidential elections with his hand-picked candidate Luis Arce winning the vote. - Bolivian presidential candidate Luis Arce, the leftist heir to former leader Evo Morales, said his country had "recovered democracy" after an exit poll from TV station Unitel indicated he had won the election in the first round. (Photo by Juan MABROMATA / AFP)

Bolivia prisoners riot over coronavirus exposure

Inmates protest on the rooftop of the San Sebastian prison in Cochabamba, Bolivia on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Ousted Bolivian leader Evo Morales ready to stand aside in new elections

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales gestures during an interview in Mexico City on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Mexico grants asylum to Bolivia’s ex-leader Evo Morales whose ‘life was at risk’

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales holds a Mexican flag on board a Mexican government aircraft. Photo: Twitter

This screen grab of a tweet posted on the account of Bolivia's former President Evo Morales on Monday, Nov. 11, 2019, shows him lying on the floor at an undisclosed location and a text that reads in Spanish "This was my first night after leaving the presidency forced by a coup by Mesa and Camacho with the help of the police. I remembered my times as leader. I'm grateful to my brothers from the of Cochabamba tropic's federations for providing us with security and care." Morales resigned to the presidency on Nov 10, under mounting pressure from the military and the public after a disputed re-election victory that triggered weeks of fraud allegations and deadly protests. (AP Photo)

epa07989683 Soldiers leave their base to patrol the streets, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, 11 November 2019. Bolivian military and police went out to patrol the streets in various Bolivian cities after the resignation of former Bolivian President Evo Morales. The elections on 20 October resulted in the re-election of Morales, and irregularities in the vote counting procedure sparked protests across the country. EPA-EFE/JUAN CARLOS TORREJON

A broken portrait of former Bolivia president Evo Morales on the floor of his private home in Cochabamba, Bolivia, after hooded opponents broke into the residence. Photo; AP

News

World

Americas


Exiled ex-president’s leftist heir Luis Arce claims victory after exit polls show crushing triumph over rival Carlos Mesa
A year ago, after failing to secure fourth term, Morales fled to Mexico before settling in neighbouring Argentina



Exiled ex-president’s leftist heir Luis Arce claims victory after exit polls show crushing triumph over rival Carlos Mesa.
