Having provoked a coup d’etat and the ensuing socio-political crisis, the US protégé is forced to refuse to participate in the presidential elections in Bolivia.
As previously reported by News Front, last year the Bolivian opposition, with US assistance, staged a coup d’etat in the country. The reason for the protests was called the results of the electoral process, as a result of which Evo Morales won.
Morales’ leadership was justified by the real support of the population. During his presidency, which began in 2006, he significantly boosted the country’s economy, raised the minimum wage and lowered the unemployment rate. At the same time, he was opposed to the neocolonization of Latin America by the United States, which played a decisive role in his overthrow. On November 10 of last year, he was forced to resign, and was replaced by Jeanine Agnes, pleasing to Washington.
New elections were scheduled to legitimize revolutionary power in Bolivia, but it was clear from the outset that the American protégé had no chance of winning. The year of her stormy reign was marked by a serious crisis. Although Morales’s Movement Towards Socialism is still the largest and most popular in Bolivia, Agnes began to brutally persecute supporters of the ousted president. She accused Morales of terrorism, although international human rights groups considered this a politically motivated step, and unsubstantiated. This approach caused public discontent.
In addition, Agnes made the mistake of breaking one of her main promises not to run for president. This alienated moderate voters. However, the economic crisis that followed the coronavirus pandemic dealt the biggest blow to its credibility. She was unable to cope with this test, and in August the country was again gripped by protests. This time the popular outrage was real. People blocked roads and criticized the government’s response to the crisis. As a result, Agnes’s ratings plummeted. A poll by the Jubilee Foundation released this week showed that Agnes received only 10% of support among presidential candidates.
Against this background, the American protégé decided to refuse to participate in the race. She motivated her decision by the fact that she did not want the “dispersion” of votes between the opposition candidates. “It’s not a sacrifice, it’s an honor,” Agnes stated.
It is worth noting that despite the people’s dissatisfaction with Morales announced last year, the leader of the ratings is his colleague and ex-Minister of Economy Luis Arce. 40% of voters are ready to vote for him.