Pro-Morales protesters clash with police in Bolivia, dozens arrested

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Protests led by supporters of former president Evo Morales ended in dozens of arrests Tuesday after a second day of clashes with police in Bolivia’s capital, the national ombudsman's office said.

Since Monday, a total of 43 people have been detained, according to the agency and officials, as protesters attempt to gather in the capital's Plaza de Armas, where the offices of the presidency and legislature are located.

The “41 people” detained on Tuesday are in apparent good condition, according to ombudsman’s office spokesman Juan Ledezma.

“[We are verifying] that there is no excess in the police matter and that they have access to what is known as safeguards, access to lawyers," he said in statements to Unitel news channel.

Thousands of mostly indigenous demonstrators arrived in La Paz on Monday, after a four-day march from the town of Patacamaya to protest against President Luis Arce and economic hardship.

During the 100-kilometre (62 mile) trek, they waved the national flag and the colourful indigenous banner known as the Wiphala, holding up placards reading: "Arce, there is no fuel," or "Arce, the people are hungry."

The protesters — said by the government to have numbered about 2,300 and by organisers 5,000 — are demanding Arce’s resignation.

"The government should leave because it offers no solution to the crisis and the economy is in tatters," Rodolfo Machaca, a representative of the ruling Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) party of Morales and Arce, told AFP.

Last year, Morales supporters blocked roads in the centre of the country for weeks. That came after prosecutors charged him with statutory rape over an alleged relationship he had with a 15-year-old while in office.

According to the prosecution, Morales and the minor had a relationship in 2015, from which a daughter was born a year later, and that the parents consented in exchange for benefits.

The 65-year-old is already facing an arrest warrant issued in October 2024 for failing to appear before the prosecutor's office during the investigation.

In December, prosecutor Sandra Gutiérrez filed a "formal charge" against Morales for the crime of trafficking and said he faces a sentence of "10 to 15 years." She also said she requested an "immigration alert," a measure to prevent him from leaving the country.

Police have been unable to arrest the Aymara leader, as he remains holed up in his traditional stronghold in the centre of the country. Morales was unable to attend his court hearing on Tuesday due to alleged illness, according to the Associated Press. The hearing is rescheduled for Friday.

Inflation in Bolivia was 9.9 percent in 2024, the highest in 16 years, according to official data, while the nation has also been hit by shortages of fuel and foreign currency. The Arce government has almost exhausted its international reserves to import diesel and gasoline, which it distributes at subsidised prices on the domestic market.

A former coca farmer, Morales broke ground as Bolivia's first indigenous leader, but lost support after trying to cling onto power for a third term.

After leading the country from 2006 to 2019, he was forced to resign amid deadly protests over alleged election fraud and fled the country for a time. He is now seeking to replace Arce as his party's leader ahead of elections in August, despite being ruled ineligible to become president again.

Morales says the charges of statutory rape, which he denies, were brought by the government of former-ally-turned-rival Arce to rule him out of politics.

Following the massive rally on Tuesday, only small groups of protesters remain active.

By nightfall, the area was already clear of protests, although the entrances were still guarded by police, AFP observed.

— TIMES/AFP

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