Bolivia’s Evo Morales Eligible to Run Again in 2014, according to Constitutional Court

The Chief Judge of Bolivia’s Constitutional Court Ruddy Flores recently released a statement in a press conference on Monday. According to Judge Flores, Bolivia has been refounded. This refounding is related to the generation of a new constitution. There is a new constitutional power and with it a “new order in the application of the constitution.” Flores reiterated that the term of the presidential rule is computed from the adoption of the new Bolivian constitution.

The position that leftist President Morales had always taken is that his 2006-2010 administration does not count and that the limit does not apply. His rationalization is that this occurred before Bolivia was refounded.

The verdict

Both officials are serving a term that commenced in 2010. The ruling of the court stated that this term ought to be considered the first term because the new constitution only took effect in 2009. According to the 2009 Constitution, the President can only serve two consecutive terms.

The verdict of the court is allied with the position of President Evo Morales and Vice-President Alvaro Garcia. The decision of the court is the response to a question posed by the Bolivian Congress.

The ruling, which considers the 2014 vote as the first legal re-election (should Morales win), has elicited protest from the leaders of the opposition party. They say that this proves that the courts are under President Morales’ thumb.

A candidate in 2014?

President Evo Morales has not yet confirmed that he would run in the 2014 election which is less than a year away. If he does run and wins the presidential race, he would be serving a third term. He would govern Bolivia until the year 2020. If this occurs, Morales would become Bolivia’s longest serving leader of the country.

Evo Morales was first elected into the highest office in his country in 2005. He made history by becoming the first indigenous President of Bolivia. He ran for re-election in 2009 and won once again in a landslide victory.