Bolivia leftist Rodriguez back in presidency

6/6/2025 5:58

Bolivian Senate leader

Andronico Rodriguez is eligible to run in the nation's

presidential elections later this year, a constitutional court

confirmed on Thursday, while former President Evo Morales

remains out of the running.



Rodriguez, a leftist leader who has received backing from

current President Luis Arce, had difficulties registering his

party in the race. Morales, meanwhile, is constitutionally

barred from running, though he has called for his supporters to

take to the streets to demand his eligibility.



Rodriguez's "Third System" party can participate in August's

elections, the court ruled on Thursday. A recent Ipsos CIESMORI

poll showed him as the leading contender for the left, after

opposition candidates Samuel Doria, a businessman and economist,

and conservative ex-President Jorge Quiroga.



Morales, who has lost much of his political clout as he

remains locked away in a compound guarded by his supporters in

rural Bolivia to evade a warrant out for his arrest, on Thursday

insisted that he will return to once again lead the country.



Courts have



repeatedly ruled



that Morales, who has already served three terms as

president, is ineligible to run for another term.



"We again ask political actors to not try and

judicialize the electoral process," senior judge Rene Yvan

Espada said in a press conference.



"We want to invite Bolivian citizens... to follow

through on their responsibility to carry out these elections

with the upmost normality, harmony and peace possible," he

added.



Morales has taken advantage of the waning popularity of

Arce, once Morales' mentee, due to rising living costs,

political infighting and long lines for petrol supplies, all of

which have fueled recent protests and street blockades.