A Bolivian constitutional court ratified on Friday that former president Evo Morales is not allowed to run for office, barring him from participating in the upcoming 2025 elections. The court said that the country’s Constitution admits presidents to be reelected only once, and Morales already served three terms.

“The exercise of his term of office, only for two periods, whether continuous or discontinuous, without the possibility of extending it to a third term,” said the ruling by the Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal of Bolivia.

Last December, Morales’ lawyers filed a motion for supplementing and amending the Constitution to be allowed to run, which the court rejected on Friday.

In a post on X, Morales said his former ally and current president Luis Arce, together with the “the Zionist government of Javier Milei,” have concocted “a Condor Plan of lawfare.”

“Since I have been a political leader, I have been accused of being a terrorist, drug trafficker, and murderer. They make up legal complaints for political purposes,” Morales wrote, saying that his political opponents are trying to eliminate him with “lies and bullets.”

Morales is at odds with Arce, who was the Indigenous leader’s economy minister during his presidential terms, and his successor in the 2020 elections.

Tensions have escalated to the point where, days ago, Morales denounced a gunfire attack on his car on October 27. The former president was en route to a radio program and switched cars after an initial attack: the second vehicle was shot 14 times. He accused Arce of organizing an “assassination attempt.” 

The infighting also included a 24-day road blockade by Morales’ supporters, and last week, armed groups took over military facilities in the tropical region of Cochabamba department. Local media reported that they responded to Morales.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights published a communiqué on Friday outlining the impacts of the widespread social conflict on human rights and governability, calling for dialogue between parties involved. “In recent history, these types of circumstances have led to serious human rights violations in Bolivia,” the press release said, also citing concerns over attacks on journalists.

On October 2, Morales was formally accused of statutory rape, human trafficking, and exploitation. The tensions and accusations are taking place in a broader economic crisis in the country that has given rise to shortages of basic goods and an Argentina-style informal dollar.

Morales was elected president for the first time in 2005 and reelected in 2009 under a new constitution. He was then reelected in 2014 and, in 2016, proposed modifying the Constitution via referendum, which would allow him to run a fourth time. Morales narrowly lost the referendum, but his 2019 presidential candidacy was ultimately permitted by a court. That latest attempt resulted in a coup against him, which saw right-wing senator Jeanine Áñez taking power. Áñez called for elections one year after taking office, which saw Arce — who was then Morales’ candidate — winning in a landslide.
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