Former Bolivian President Evo Morales, a refugee in Argentina since December, said he still has no date to return to his country, where on Sunday his political heir Luis Arce won the presidential election.
“My return to Bolivia is not yet scheduled,” he told Rádio El Destape, after Argentine President Alberto Fernández expressed his desire to accompany him earlier.
Morales asked his fellow citizens to maintain unity and predicted that the final count will give Luis Arce a victory “of more than 55% of the votes” at the ballot box.
“In an indigenous community, we reached 99%, in my village where I was born, at 99.2”, Morales listed, while a slow official recount attributes more than 53% of the votes to Arce, with 84% of the ballots counted.
“There is no way to hide what happened in the elections,” said the ex-president, referring to the October 2019 elections, canceled by an alleged fraud based on an audit by the Organization of American States (OAS), in which Morales he was looking for his fourth consecutive term.
“If Luis Almagro had any ethics and morals, he should resign from the OAS,” said Morales of the secretary general of the international body, considering him “responsible for the coup” in his country.
Almagro congratulated Arce on his victory on Sunday and wished him “success in his future work”, while praising the “civic conduct” of the Bolivian people.
“The Organization of American States has always defended the popular will in Bolivia, expressed through free elections. A day like today is an opportunity to move forward in building a more inclusive and tolerant country, ”the OAS said in a statement.
Morales resigned from the Bolivian Presidency on November 10, 2019, after losing support from the Armed Forces amid reports of fraud.
First, he traveled to Mexico. Then, he took refuge in Argentina, after the possession of the Peronist Alberto Fernández, on December 10.
“Throughout the year, we said there was never fraud,” said Morales.
The ex-president said that, given the events of 2019, on Sunday, “there was a reaction from the Bolivian people at the polls, in which they voted for respect.”
