Bolivia - July 2023

Bolivian courts ratified the ten-year prison sentence that last year was handed to Jeanine Añez, former interim President, for crimes related to dereliction of duty. Añez stated she will appeal and accused the ruling party Movement for Socialism (Movimiento al Socialismo, MAS) of retaliation for the aftermath of the 2019 presidential elections. In 2019, irregularities were denounced following the presidential elections and were followed by protests that resulted in violence and fatalities, leading to Evo Morales’s resignation and flight from the country. Ms Añez then assumed the presidency without following constitutional procedure, a measure she defends as needed in face of a legal vacuum regarding the presidential succession (as MAS politicians in line of succession had also resigned). She was further object of criticism after her government accused Evo Morales of sedition and terrorism, charges that she is currently facing as well . 

Sources:  Clarin, Infobae, Washington Office for Latin America, The New York Times