Supporters of Bolivia’s former leader Evo Morales clash with police in push to secure his candidacy

Demonstrators march to Bolivia’s electoral authority in support of former Bolivian President Evo Morales, after he was blocked by Bolivia’s constitutional court from running in the Presidential election this year, in El Alto, Bolivia, on May 16, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Hundreds of supporters of former President Evo Morales marched toward Bolivia’s top electoral court on Friday (May 16, 2025) to push for their leftist leader’s candidacy in Presidential elections later this year, a rally that descended into street clashes as police tried to clear out a group of demonstrators.

The confrontations come in response to a ruling by Bolivia’s Constitutional Court that blocks Mr. Morales, the nation’s first Indigenous President who governed from 2006 until his ouster in 2019, from running again in August 17 elections.

The turmoil escalates political tensions as Bolivia undergoes its worst economic crisis in four decades.

As the march arrived in Bolivia’s capital of La Paz, protesters seeking to register Mr. Morales’ candidacy surged toward the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, chanting, “Comrades, what do we want? For Evo to come back!”

Security forces barricading a road to the court held them back. Police reported that the clashes between rock-throwing protesters and tear gas-lobbing police forces injured two officers, a journalist and a local merchant.

“They’re using firecrackers and rocks that are hurting our forces,” said police Commander Juan Russo. “This is not a peaceful march.”

The authorities did not report on any injuries among the protesters, who were seen being pushed onto the ground, shoved into police cars and blasted with tear gas. Mr. Morales had promised to attend the march on Friday (May 16, 2025) but did not show up.

The court’s unanimous decision on Wednesday (May 14, 2025) upheld an earlier ruling that bans Presidents from serving more than two terms. Mr. Morales has already served three, and, in 2019, resigned under pressure from the military and went into exile as protests erupted over his bid for an unprecedented fourth term.

Mr. Morales returned to Bolivia a year later as the 2020 elections vaulted to power his preferred candidate, President Luis Arce, from his long-dominant Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party.

Mr. Arce, who announced earlier this week that he would not seek re-election, insisted that the Constitutional Court had disqualified Mr. Morales, his mentor-turned-rival, from running in 2025.

But many experts doubt the legitimacy of that decision in a country where political conflicts undermine the courts and Presidents have maneuvered to get their allies on the bench.

“The Constitutional Court issues unconstitutional arbitrary rulings at the whim of those in power,” said Mr. Morales, who himself reaped the benefits of favourable judges while seeking to run for a fourth consecutive term in 2017.

After Mr. Morales lost a referendum seeking to do away with term limits while still in power, the Constitutional Court ruled it would be against Mr. Morales’ human rights to stop him from running for another term.

That 2017 ruling allows Mr. Morales to register his candidacy, said Oscar Hassentoufel, the President of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal. “Then the tribunal will decide whether he’s eligible or not.”

In defiance to the latest court ruling, Mr. Morales called a mass march that marshalled his loyal supporters in the rural tropics. They long have championed the Indigenous coca-grower for transforming the country during his tenure — redistributing Bolivia’s natural gas wealth and seeking greater inclusion for its Indigenous majority.

Although he had earlier promised to participate, it appeared that Mr. Morales remained holed up in his stronghold for fear of arrest on human trafficking charges that he claims are politically motivated.

The government confirmed that fear on Friday (May 16, 2025). “We ask Mr. Morales to surrender voluntarily,” said Eduardo del Castillo, a key Minister in Mr. Arce’s government whom the MAS party endorsed for President later on Friday (May 16, 2025) in place of Mr. Arce. “If we find him walking the streets, we will arrest him.”

Instead, scores of his supporters walked the capital’s streets on Friday (May 16, 2025) wearing masks of Mr. Morales’ face. “Evo Morales is each and every one of us. If they want to detain Evo Morales they would need to take every one of us, too,” said David Ochoa, a representative of the marchers.