The Constitutional Court (TC) of Bolivia confirmed that no authority in the country can run for a third term after having served two terms, which closes all avenues for former president Evo Morales, who managed to govern three times to run for the presidential elections in 2025.
According to a ruling known this Friday, which leaves in place another decision from December 2023, the high court established that the “exercise of mandate” of the holders of public powers be “only for two periods, whether continuous or discontinuous, without the possibility of extending to a third term”.
This ruling responds to a request from a parliamentarian who had asked the TC to clear up doubts about the previous ruling.
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Until now, Morales and President Luis Arce, who was his Minister of Economy, have disputed control of the ruling party and the official presidential candidacy heading into the August 2025 elections.
The president has not made official his aspiration to revalidate the position, but his followers support this idea.
Morales began governing in 2006 and was re-elected for the period 2010-2015, when a new Constitution came into force. Taking advantage of a modification in that Magna Carta, the justice system enabled him to serve a third term (2015-2020), despite the fact that the opposition denounced that it was illegal.
With the extensive power he concentrated, he managed to Judiciary declared reelection as a human right and sought a fourth term for the period 2020-2025.
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However, it was accused by his opponents of fraud and protests broke out that forced him to resign in November 2019.
The 65-year-old indigenous leader has not commented on the decision made known this Friday, although he has repeated that he is authorized, but that the Arce government uses justice to block his candidacy.
In parallel with the presidential elections, all seats in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate will also be renewed next year.
