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Former Bolivian president Evo Morales has claimed that growing protests across Bolivia are driven by public anger towards a conservative government he says is heavily influenced by the United States.
Speaking to AFP on Wednesday, Morales said demonstrators were rebelling against what he described as “a government that is utterly submissive” to Washington. His comments came as protesters once again filled the streets of La Paz over worsening economic hardship and political tensions.
Workers, farmers, truck drivers, Indigenous groups and other demonstrators have staged protests since early May, demanding the resignation of centre-right President Rodrigo Paz. The government has accused Morales of orchestrating the unrest in a bid to destabilise the country.
However, Morales rejected the accusation and insisted that public frustration over economic conditions and government policies was the real cause of the demonstrations.
“I am totally convinced this rebellion is against the neo-liberal model and the neo-colonial state,” said Morales, who governed Bolivia from 2006 to 2019 before fleeing to Mexico following a disputed election and mass protests. He later returned from exile in 2020.
Bolivia’s first Indigenous president gave the virtual interview from the coca-growing Chapare region, his political base. Morales remains under the protection of thousands of Indigenous supporters who have blocked attempts by police to arrest him over allegations of sexual abuse involving a minor.
