Security & Strategic Review - December 2023

The tensions which have been brewing in Bolivia’s ruling left-wing Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) for the past two years burst to the fore on 4 October. After snubbing a MAS party congress, President Luis Arce was unceremoniously expelled from the party, while former president Evo Morales (2006-2019) was declared its candidate for the 2025 election. These decisions made at the congress were later nullified by the supreme court, which ordered that the congress be re-held. But regardless of this verdict, there appears to have been a definitive rupture between Arce and Morales’ factions. Arce already seems to be considering forming a new political party that could see him face off against Morales in 2025.