The Plurinational Constitutional Court of Bolivia issued a ruling this Thursday that validates the congress of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) held by social organizations aligned with the government of Luis Arce, marking the end of Evo Morales' leadership in the party after nearly thirty years.
In the ruling, judges Gonzalo Hurtado and René Espada determined the validity of all execution acts, including the Ordinary National Congress of MAS-IPSP that took place in El Alto, La Paz department, from May 3 to 5, 2024. This implies the recognition of Grover García as the new president of the ruling party.
The 'arcista' congress, backed by sectors aligned with Arce, took place after another congress held by the 'evista' block, loyal to Morales, in October 2023 in Lauca Ñ, in the Tropic of Cochabamba, the political stronghold of the former president. Arce and Choquehuanca did not attend the 'evista' congress, arguing that the social organizations of MAS were not properly represented.
In the 'evista' congress, Morales was reelected as leader of MAS and named as the 'sole candidate' of the party for the 2025 presidential elections. However, the meeting was declared inadmissible by the electoral body for failing to meet some requirements.
Although the Supreme Electoral Tribunal urged both blocks to hold a consensus congress to validate the election of the party, this did not happen. The Morales block attempted to organize its own congresses in the Tropic of Cochabamba, but since they were not supervised by the electoral body, these meetings ended up being mere party gatherings.
The judges who validated the 'arcista' congress also recently commented on the limitation of mandates in Bolivia, confirming that elected authorities can only serve two terms, either consecutive or non-consecutive, with no possibility of a third term. This affects Morales' aspirations to run for the presidency again, as he has governed Bolivia three times.
Disputes over the presidential candidacy and control of MAS have deepened divisions within the ruling party since late 2021, following the rift between Morales and Arce.