Bolivia's socialist president, Luis Arce Catacora, recently announced that rumors of pedophilia against his predecessor and former leader, now chief rival, Evo Morales, have been “openly revealed'' during Morales' long presidential term. “It was a secret,” he said.
Arce, who served as finance minister in Morales' government for more than a decade before taking office in 2020, made the remarks during a press conference. interview A Mexican newspaper, La Jornada, published on Sunday claimed to have known about the pedophilia and statutory rape allegations against Morales, claiming that “everyone” knew of the accusations but remained silent.
“No one knows why it was kept quiet because it was an open secret. We all knew about it, but it was kept there,” Arce said.
Mr. Morales, a failed socialist dictator who ruled Bolivia for four consecutive terms in defiance of Bolivia's constitution and used questionable court rulings to rule Bolivia until he voluntarily resigned in 2019, was accused of human trafficking and legal He is said to be being investigated by local prosecutors on suspicion of rape. He worked hard during his term as president.
The district attorney officially Paid Mr. Morales requested an arrest warrant for Mr. Morales last week. At the time of writing, Mr. Morales is “trapped” in the Chapare region of central Bolivia, under constant protection from his supporters.
Asked why he had done nothing so far about the pedophilia accusations, Arce said that “nobody knows in the Ebo government,” but that his government is “not just using political means like ours. “We will not allow this kind of ethical and moral damage to occur.” But also society. ”
Hours after Mr. Arce's interview with a Mexican newspaper, Bolivia's socialist president told reporters at a press conference on Monday that rumors of pedophilia were raised during the 2019 presidential campaign, when Mr. Morales served as one of his cabinet members. I reconfirmed that I heard that.
“Even in the 2019 campaign that we had to do to help Evo Morales, they screamed ‘pedophile’ at us. When they screamed at us, people We've heard that, personally they told me that in the campaigns we ran in 2020,” Arce said. said When asked a question in an interview by a reporter.
“In 2020, I was out campaigning and going around my neighborhood and a lot of people said things to me and shouted at me. They screamed that I was a pedophile. And we all knew it wasn't my fault, because, believe me, I don't have a resume, and of course it hurts,'' he added.
The investigation into Morales was originally launched in 2019, but in September of this year, local authorities discovered evidence in the southern city of Tarija that Morales had a sexual relationship with a person alleged to be Cindy Vargas in 2016. It remained “frozen” until then. Vargas was 15 years old.
A birth certificate recently discovered by local authorities in Tarija's civil registration records lists Morales as the father of a child born to Vargas when she was said to have been 16 years old. Investigators also said that at the time of the alleged statutory rape, Ms. Vargas' parents had transferred her to the pro-Morales youth group, a group of older teenagers the failed socialist dictator founded in the mid-2010s. registered with the organization. 14-15.
The alleged victim's parents are accused of “handing over” Vargas to Morales and allowing them to have sexual relations in exchange for political and other benefits. Vargas and her 8-year-old child both survive. do not have The child was last seen near the school in Yaquiba City where the child was enrolled since early October.
Mr. Morales responded to the accusations by saying: place an order His supporters violently blocked the country's main roads in October to thwart his possible arrest. of blockadeThe disaster, which lasted more than three weeks, caused significant losses to Bolivia's economy, leading to widespread hunger and shortages of other essential goods. Pro-Morales supporters responded violently to efforts by local police to lift the blockade, throwing stones and rocks. dynamite.
Mr. Arce was once Mr. Morales's political disciple and chosen successor, but the two socialists remain in a long-standing power struggle for control of both Bolivia and the ruling Movement for Socialism (MAS). continues. The feud between Arce and Morales has effectively split MAS into two factions, one loyal to Arce and the other to Morales.
In November, members of the pro-Morales MAS faction brought along a 24-year-old woman named Jessica Villarroel. accused Arce sexually harassed and abused his authority because of his extramarital relationship with his girlfriend. Bolivian government officials refuted the accusations on behalf of Mr. Arce, saying: explained It's a “mental fart” and a “horribly written script.”
in spite of Limited timeMorales is claimed that He will run for a fifth term in the upcoming 2025 presidential election.
