Bolivian Court Closes Case Against Morales Over 2019 Election Fraud

Bolivian Court Closes Case Against Morales Over 2019 Election Fraud

A Bolivian court closed the October 2019 election fraud case against ex-President Evo Morales due to a lack of evidence, a spokesman for the court in La Paz, Jorge Cino, said on Wednesday

LA PAZ (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th December, 2020) A Bolivian court closed the October 2019 election fraud case against ex-President Evo Morales due to a lack of evidence, a spokesman for the court in La Paz, Jorge Cino, said on Wednesday.

In February, the La Paz prosecutor's office opened new criminal proceedings against Morales in connection with alleged fraud in the elections in October 2019. Alvaro Garcia Linera, the former vice president, and three ex-ministers were also suspected of fraud.

"Neither the election commission summaries nor the Organization of American States (OAS) report attached to the complaint contain any elements of evidence regarding the alleged fraud," the spokesman told reporters, adding that there have been no appeals against the court's decision.

Morales was pressured by the military to flee Bolivia on the back of violent nationwide protests last fall. They were ignited by his controversial victory in an election that would launch his fourth consecutive presidential term.

Opposition lawmaker Jeanine Anez took over as interim president and arranged for a new presidential vote, which took place on October 18. The election was won by Luis Arce, a member of Morales' own Movement for Socialism party.

Morales has reacted to Arce's victory by saying that the Bolivian people had managed to regain political power via democracy, not a coup, and calling the victory a "great triumph of the people." Morales returned to Bolivia in November after being self-exiled for almost a year.