🗳️ Elections in Bolivia and Ecuador

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Will Bolivia’s right build a united front to reclaim power?

The chaos encircling the ruling Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party in Bolivia, with President Luis Arce and three-term former President Evo Morales turning from allies into sworn enemies, will not be the only determining factor ahead of the decisive August elections.

Open door. Fragmentation and infighting between “Arcistas” and “Evistas” (not to mention an ailing economy) create a window of opportunity for the country’s conservative opposition after two decades of nearly uninterrupted MAS rule (with a one-year interregnum that followed a 2019 coup). To take advantage of this chance, talks of a united right-wing front are in the offing.

👉 Why it matters. Such big-tent coalitions have been an effective strategy against highly divisive candidates like Bolivia’s Morales. In Brazil’s 2022 elections, Lula’s Workers’ Party teamed up with centrist and center-right forces to oust Jair Bolsonaro. In Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro had to resort to electoral fraud to stop an opposition coalition last year.

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