The former president believes his rivals want to “eliminate” him ahead of the upcoming presidential vote
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales has lashed out at his political rivals over what he called a persecution campaign after an arrest warrant was issued against him on Saturday. The nation’s first indigenous leader, 65, was accused of having a child with an underage girl in 2016, an act considered statutory rape in Bolivia.
Morales himself dismissed the accusations by calling the Bolivian judiciary biased against him and denouncing the process as a political persecution campaign launched by his rivals ahead of the upcoming elections.
“There has been a warrant ordered for his search and arrest,” Judge Nelson Rocabado told journalists after a hearing in the southern region of Tarija, home to the alleged victim. Morales hit back in a series of posts on X, where he accused Rocabado of abandoning judicial neutrality in favor of serving the government of the former president’s rival – current Bolivian President Luis Acre.
The judge was appointed during Acre’s tenure, Morales said, adding that “this is proof that judges are not independent. They do not respect due process and make decisions without evidence. They only obey those who do them the favor by appointing them.”
In another post, the former president also linked the case to the upcoming presidential election scheduled for August. “My accusers are not seeking justice, they want to ban me and eliminate me before the upcoming presidential elections in Bolivia,” he said, denouncing what he called “biased” and “subservient” justice.
According to the media reports, the arrest warrant was issued after Morales skipped hearings on his possible pretrial detention twice. Under the ruling, which was aired on national television, the former president’s assets have also been frozen and he has been banned from leaving the country.
Morales reportedly currently resides in the central Bolivian province of Chapare, where he enjoys strong popular support.
A leftist, Morales became Bolivia’s first indigenous president in 2006. He fled the country in 2019 amid widespread protests and riots sparked by allegations of voter fraud in the general election. He has since claimed he was ousted in a US-backed coup. He returned to Bolivia in 2020 after Arce, his ally at that time, won the presidency. Their relationship then quickly deteriorated into rivalry over control of their Movement for Socialism party.
In October 2024, Morales was first charged with “aggravated rape with human trafficking” for allegedly having sex with a minor. In November 2024, Morales claimed an assassination attempt after his car was struck by bullets.
The government denied the claims, with Government Minister Eduardo del Castillo accusing Morales of staging the incident.