Bolivia to Probe Alleged Attack Against Former Leader Morales
(Bloomberg) -- Bolivian authorities will investigate an alleged attack directed at former President Evo Morales that took place Sunday as the Andean nation faces a deep political crisis.
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The Movement for Socialism said a vehicle transporting Morales in the Cochabamba province was shot 14 times, hurting his driver at around 6:30 a.m. when the politician headed to a radio show.
President Luis Arce, a former ally and the successor of the indigenous leader, said in a post on social media platform X that he ordered an investigation into the alleged attack.
The Andean nation is in a massive economic crisis since the central bank almost ran out of foreign currency reserves last year, leaving importers struggling to get hold of dollars. Social unrest and clashes between rival factions in the ruling Socialist party, which has led to disruptive highway blockades and fuel shortages, aggravates the chaos.
Luis Arce’s administration has blamed Morales and his supporters for trying to “destabilize” the country after two weeks of roadblocks disturbing the economy.
Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president, led the nation from 2006 to 2019 and seeks to run in next year’s election.
--With assistance from Sergio Mendoza.
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