By Angella Semu
Bolivia’s former interim president Jeanine Anez has been arrested in relation to the 2019 political crisis in which she replaced predecessor Evo Morales.
The minister of government Carlos Eduardo del Castillo disclosed the news in a statement on Saturday March, 13.
On Friday, Anez faced an arrest warrant issued by the public prosecutor’s office on charges of terrorism, sedition and conspiracy over an alleged coup after she replaced Morales in November 2019.
Prior to the arrest, Anez wrote on Twitter that the “political persecution has begun” following the warrant of arrest.
The conservative politician took over as caretaker president after Morales fled the country during widespread protests against his unconstitutional fourth term re-election after he lost the support of the armed forces amid violent protests.
According to Al Jazeera report, Bolivia’s socialist-dominated congress voted last month to give amnesty to those prosecuted during conservative president Anez’s year-long government for acts of violence during the chaos that followed Morales’ resignation in 2019.
Even after being branded “a coup-mongering right-wing senator” by Morales, Anez vowed to “pacify the country” after casting herself as the only person able to lead the country out of its post-Morales crisis.
However, in an October 2020 general election, Morales’ chosen successor Luis Arce won the presidency in easy victory which led to the return of Morales himself home who eventually took over leadership of the ruling party, Movement for Socialism (MAS) which he founded.