Former President Evo Morales announces candidacy for Bolivian 2025 presidential elections

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - The Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party declared former President Evo Morales its exclusive candidate Wednesday for the 2025 general elections in Bolivia.

The decision was "to ratify the forceful, consensual, legal and legitimate support to brother Evo Morales, as president of the national leadership of MAS," party leaders said in a statement at a congress in Lauca Ene, Cochabamba.

Morales wrote on social media that he regretted the decision by "some brothers," alluding to President Luis Arce and Vice President David Choquehuanca not attending the MAS congress. As a result, Morales announced their "self-expulsion" from the party -- a move that also led to the expulsion of several members.

Arce said he did not participate because he considers social organizations not adequately represented at the meeting.

The rift between Morales and his former political ally has deepened over time, causing divisions within Bolivia's leftist movement.

The root cause of growing tension is that Arce was fulfilling his desire to govern independently from Morales, who had helped Arce gain power in the 2020 elections. The will of independence led Arce to appear as a rival to Morales for leadership of the left in the country.

Morales, who governed Bolivia for three consecutive terms from 2006 to 2019, raised concerns about the government's intentions to outlaw the leftist party, which he co-founded.

He accused the government of attempting to "physically eliminate" the party, prompting his decision to run for the presidency again to protect its existence.

"Forced by the government's attacks, its plan to proscribe the MAS-IPSP and defenestrate us with political processes, even physically eliminate us, we have decided to accept the requests of our militancy and of so many sisters and brothers who attend the rallies throughout the country to be a candidate for the presidency of our beloved Bolivia," he wrote on X.

After years of living in exile in Argentina, Morales decided to return and run as a candidate “in response to the calls from his supporters” and perceived “threats” posed by the government.

"They have convinced me that I am going to be a candidate, they have forced me, of course the people want it, but the right wing, the government, the empire are forcing me," said Morales.