Bolivia’s Morales says vehicle fired upon as political tensions rise

LA PAZ, Bolivia — Bolivian ex-president Evo Morales said on Sunday his vehicle was fired upon amid rising political tensions in the South American country between a faction around the iconic former leader and the government of his former ally, President Luis Arce.

Morales posted a video on Facebook taken inside a moving car, showing him sitting in the front passenger seat and at least two bullet holes in the windshield. The driver appeared to have been injured, though was still driving the vehicle.

Reuters could not independently verify the contents of the video.

The incident, at a time of high tensions with Morales supporters blocking highways in the center of the country and security forces and police trying to clear them, risks sparking more unrest with Bolivians already facing an economic crisis.

On Saturday the government had criticized Morales for “destabilizing” the country with two-weeks of road blockades that have jammed up supply of food and fuel around the country. It said he was trying to “interrupt democratic order.”

The government in a statement also said some groups allied to Morales were armed and warned about violence, citing 14 police officers wounded trying to break up the blockades.

Morales and Arce, his former economy minister, are both part of the same socialist MAS political party but have clashed over the last year, part of a power struggle ahead of 2025 elections.

The country is also grappling with dwindling gas production, drained foreign currency reserves and rising inflation, which is heaping pressure on the ruling party and leading to increasingly messy political infighting.

Morales is also facing allegations that he had relationships with minors. He was formally summoned by regional prosecutors to testify in the case but did not appear, and now faces an arrest warrant. Morales strongly denies the accusations.