Bolivia's ex-leader Morales reappears in stronghold after 7-week absence

"Evo Morales, Bolivia's former long-serving socialist leader, has reappeared in his political stronghold in the country's central Chapare region after almost seven weeks of unexplained absence. His public appearance on Thursday in the town of Chimore ends rife speculation he had fled the country in the wake of the United States abduction of his ally, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in January."

"The media outlet of Morales' coca-growing union, Radio Kawsachun Coca, released footage of the former leader smiling in dark sunglasses as he arrived via tractor at a stadium to address his supporters. Morales endorsed candidates for next month's regional elections and pointedly accused the US under President Donald Trump of wanting to eliminate every left-wing party in Latin America."

"Morales, Bolivia's first Indigenous president, serving from 2006 until his fraught 2019 ouster and subsequent self-exile, explained that he had come down with chikungunya, a mosquito-borne ailment with no treatment that causes fever and severe joint pain, and suffered complications that caught me by surprise. He dismissed rumours that he would try to flee the country, pledging to remain in Bolivia despite the threat of arrest under conservative President Rodrigo Paz, whose election last October ended nearly two decades of rule by Morales's Movement Toward Socialism party."

Evo Morales reappeared in Chapare after almost seven weeks of unexplained absence, ending speculation that he had fled following the US abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Footage from Radio Kawsachun Coca showed Morales arriving by tractor in dark sunglasses to address supporters in Chimore. Morales endorsed candidates for regional elections and accused the US under President Donald Trump of wanting to eliminate left-wing parties across Latin America. He said he contracted chikungunya and suffered complications that surprised him. Morales dismissed plans to flee, pledged to remain in Bolivia despite a threat of arrest under President Rodrigo Paz, and has denied human trafficking charges.

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