A Bolivian court limits the number of presidential terms and prevents Evo Morales from running

Constitutional Court (TC). Bolivia Disable the former president Evo Morales To run for president in the 2025 elections, by eliminating the possibility of a politician seeking re-election to the office indefinitely. The rule in place until then allowed a politician of indigenous descent to remain in office from 2006 to 2019.

“Restricting the possibility of re-election indefinitely is an appropriate measure to ensure that a person does not remain in power,” said the 82-page ruling, which was published on Saturday, September 30, on the court’s website.

The decision overturns another decision adopted by the same court in 2017, which considered re-election a “human right.” The understanding at the time enabled Morales to run for a third term in 2019. The Bolivian constitution only allowed him to be re-elected once in a row, which Morales has already exhausted by winning the 2015 elections. The current decision is not subject to appeal.

The Supreme Court decision stipulates that the president and vice president may not hold office more than twice, whether continuously or not. He also pointed out that “there is no absolute right to indefinite publication, and prohibiting it is consistent with the American Convention on Human Rights.”

The change made by the court is based on a review of criteria Inter-American Court of Human Rights. In 2021, the International Consultation Body issued an advisory opinion, at the request of the Colombian Government, on indefinite re-election.

Morales described the decision as “political” and accused the current president and his political heir, Luis ArceTo develop a plan to remove him from the presidential race in 2025.

Morales said, via the social networking site He added that he “has no fear” and said that “the fighting continues.”

Morales had previously expressed his desire to run for the presidential elections in 2025, amid verbal disagreements with Luis Arce, the current president, who was a political ally and Minister of the Economy for almost his entire term.

The former president resigned in 2019, after social unrest due to accusations of election fraud. After leaving the country, he took power Janine AnezWho now faces trials and convictions on coup charges.

“The GPC is putting an end to Evo Morales’ illusion of re-election once and for all,” Anez wrote in X. Carlos MesaHe said: “Evo Morales and (Then Vice President Alvaro) García Linera has violated the Constitution (…) in collusion with the Revolutionary Communist Party.”

The constitution allows Arce to seek re-election, although he has already said this is not the time to talk about nominations. The current president and Morales are competing for the MAS nomination for 2025./AFP and AP