LA PAZ — Bolivia’s longest-running political crisis deepened Thursday as former president Evo Morales’ party, the Instrumento Politico por la Soberania de los Pueblos, formally withdrew from October’s presidential ballot, citing “state persecution” of its candidates and the arbitrary blocking of party registration in seven departments. The decision effectively splits the left-wing vote and dramatically improves the odds of a centrist or right-wing victory for the first time in two decades.
In a separate escalation, Bolivia’s Congress voted 87-41 to authorize the deployment of army battalions to the border region near Cobija after a Venezuelan military aircraft violated Bolivian airspace for 34 minutes at low altitude Wednesday, forcing the closure of two local airports. The incident is the most serious breach of Bolivian sovereignty since a 2019 border confrontation with Paraguay.
The Venezuelan defense ministry denied the airspace violation and called the Bolivian response “a provocative overreaction.” The UN secretary-general called for “maximum restraint” from both governments. Regional analysts warn the dual crises could destabilize the Morales-aligned bloc ahead of regional summits scheduled for July.
Morales, who governed Bolivia from 2006 to 2019 before being forced from office amid disputed elections, had been widely expected to mount another presidential candidacy despite an existing ban from serving a fourth term. His party’s withdrawal leaves the movement without a viable candidate and marks a potential endpoint to two decades of MAS dominance in Bolivian politics.
Congress approved the military deployment in a special session that lasted into the early morning hours. Defense Minister Jorge Lopez told reporters the armed forces would establish “a permanent presence” along the Pando border to deter further violations. He said the Venezuelan aircraft, identified as a Casa C-295 transport, had conducted what satellite data showed was a surveillance orbit before exiting toward Caracas.
Diplomats from the Union of South American Nations were expected to convene an emergency session by Friday. The United States called the Venezuelan overflight “deeply destabilizing” and said it was reviewing its bilateral assistance agreements with La Paz.
Written by Diego Vargas
Written by Diego Vargas, Latin America Correspondent