LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivia’s former President Evo Morales said on Sunday that political tensions between a faction centered around the iconic former leader and the government of his former ally, President Luis Arce, will continue in the South American country. As the situation escalated, he announced that his car had been shot at.
Morales posted a video on Facebook taken inside the car while it was moving, showing him in the passenger seat and at least two bullet holes in the windshield. The driver appeared to be injured but was still driving.
Reuters could not independently verify the contents of the video.
The attack took place amid heightened tensions, with Morales supporters blocking highways in the center of the country and security forces and police trying to clear them, and an economic crisis already underway. There is a risk of causing further unrest among Bolivian citizens facing
The government on Saturday criticized Prime Minister Morales for “destabilizing” the country by disrupting food and fuel supplies across the country with two-week road closures. He said he was trying to “disturb the democratic order.”
The government said in a statement that 14 police officers were injured trying to break the blockade and warned of violence, saying some groups allied with Morales were armed.
Morales and his former economy minister Arce, both members of the same socialist party MAS, clashed last year as part of a power struggle ahead of elections in 2025.
The country is also suffering from declining gas production, depleting foreign exchange reserves and rising inflation, which has increased pressure on the ruling party and led to increasingly nasty political infighting.
Morales is also suspected of having a relationship with a minor. He was formally subpoenaed by the district attorney to testify in the case, but failed to appear and now faces a warrant for his arrest. Mr. Morales strongly denies the accusations.
