Former Bolivian president Morales claims he survived assassination attempt

Former President Evo Morales of Bolivia claimed he survived an assassination effort connected Sunday aft unidentified men opened occurrence connected his car. He was not injured and location was nary contiguous confirmation of nan onslaught from authorities.

Morales alleged nan shots were fired while he was being driven successful Bolivia's coca leaf-growing region of Chapare, nan ex-president's agrarian stronghold whose residents person blockaded nan country's main east-west road for nan past 2 weeks.

The roadblocks — protesting what Morales' supporters decry arsenic President Luis Arce's attempts to sabotage his erstwhile mentor and bitter governmental rival — person isolated cities and disrupted nutrient and substance supplies.

Morales, who led Bolivia from 2006 to 2019, emerged unscathed from nan alleged onslaught Sunday, appearing connected his play power show successful his accustomed calm mode to recount what happened.

He told nan power big that arsenic he was leaving location for nan power station, hooded men fired astatine slightest 14 shots astatine his car, wounding his driver.

Morales was speedy to blasted his successor, President Arce, pinch whom he is fighting to beryllium nan campaigner of governing socialist statement successful adjacent year's statesmanlike election. He claimed that Arce's authorities resorted to beingness unit having been incapable to conclusion him politically.

Former President Evo Morales speaks to supporters aft marching to La Paz, Bolivia, to protestation existent President Luis Arce, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. Juan Karita / AP

"Arce is going to spell down arsenic nan worst president successful history," Morales said. "Shooting a erstwhile president is nan past straw."

Officials successful Arce's authorities did not respond to requests for remark connected nan incident.

Cellphone video circulating online shows Morales' driver bleeding from nan backmost of his head. Morales tin beryllium seen successful nan passenger's spot holding a telephone to his receptor arsenic nan conveyance swerves and a woman's sound shrieks "Duck!"

The footage shows nan car's beforehand windshield cracked by astatine slightest 3 bullets and its rear windshield shattered. Morales tin beryllium heard saying, "Papacho has been changeable successful nan head," apparently referring to his driver.

"They are shooting astatine us," Morales continues connected nan phone. "They changeable nan tyre of nan car and it stopped connected nan road."

Morales' declare deepens governmental tensions successful Bolivia astatine a volatile infinitesimal for nan cash-strapped Andean federation of 12 million.

In June, location was an evident attempted coup by a rogue subject wide starring a rebellion, wherever armored vehicles and troops marched to nan statesmanlike palace and tried to unit their measurement into nan building. The rebellion retreated aft Arce confronted nan general, bringing nan alleged coup effort to a head, and ordered him to guidelines down. The wide and different elder officers were later arrested.

Then, past month, Morales led a monolithic march against nan government's mismanagement of nan system that quickly devolved into thoroughfare clashes pinch pro-government mobs. Imported equipment are scarce and prices are rising. Drivers hold for hours to capable up astatine state stations. The spread betwixt nan charismatic and black-market speech rates is widening.

Earlier this month, nan feud betwixt Morales and Arce moved to nan courts arsenic Bolivian prosecutors launched an investigation into accusations that Morales fathered a kid pinch a 15-year-old woman successful 2016, classifying their narration arsenic statutory rape.

Morales has dismissed nan allegations arsenic politically motivated and refused to attest successful nan case. Since reports surfaced of a imaginable apprehension warrant against him, nan ex-president has been holed up successful nan Chapare region, successful cardinal Bolivia, wherever supportive coca growers person kept vigilant watch to protect him from arrest.

President Arce accuses Morales of trying to undermine his management to beforehand his ain ambitions.

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