Evo Morales out of Bolivian presidential race as candidate deadline expires

By Daniel Ramos

The registration window for candidates hoping to compete for Bolivia's presidency in its August election expired on Tuesday, drawing a line under ex-President Evo Morales' attempt at a fourth presidential term.

A constitutional court decision last week upheld a ban on any individual serving more than two presidential terms, effectively preventing Morales, a political power player for almost two decades, from running again.

Morales, who ruled the country from 2006 to 2019 and was Bolivia's first Indigenous president, has challenged his exclusion, with groups that support him organizing protests and traffic stoppages.

"The fight is not lost, we will fight the legal and the social battle," Morales told local radio station Radio Panamericana on Tuesday.

Morales' Movement to Socialism, or MAS, which has dominated Bolivian politics and increased Indigenous representation in recent years, now approaches the August 17 election as a fragmented political force, with at least three separate factions competing for the presidency.

Eduardo del Castillo, interior minister until last week, is backed by the incumbent president, Morales mentee-turned-rival Luis Arce.

Senate President Andronico Rodriguez has registered his candidacy, though his participation is pending a judicial decision. Eva Copa, a former MAS senator and current mayor of El Alto, has registered to run for her own new party, known as Morena.

In total, 10 candidates will seek the presidency in an election that will take place amid a deep economic crisis and increasing popular discontent.

Carlos Saavedra, an independent political analyst, said a clear election result looked unlikely.

"We're going to have plenty of voter spread and I am certain we're in a context where a victory in the first round will be impossible for anybody. It's even less likely that somebody will win a two-thirds majority in the legislative assembly," Saavedra said.

Bolivia's constitutional court said the candidate roster could still change. Resignations are possible up to 45 days ahead of the election, while substitutions due to inability or permanent impediment can happen up to three days before election day.