BoliviaB次元官网网址檚 transformative and divisive former President Evo Morales said Sunday that he would press on with a hunger strike until the government of his protege-turned-rival agreed to a political dialogue. The act, exposing the depth of the Andean countryB次元官网网址檚 divisions, aims to defuse the protests over MoralesB次元官网网址� claims of political persecution that have paralyzed the nation in recent weeks.

Morales, a larger-than-life figure still towering over Bolivian politics, spoke from the misty tropics of Chapare, BoliviaB次元官网网址檚 rural coca-growing region that serves as his stronghold.

B次元官网网址淢y fight is to improve the situation in the country and to start a dialogue without conditions on two fronts, one economic and one political,B次元官网网址� Morales told The Associated Press from the office of the coca growersB次元官网网址� federation that he has long led.

He said he began his hunger strike on Friday in hopes of B次元官网网址渋nternational organizations or friendly governmentsB次元官网网址� facilitating his outreach to his political nemesis, President Luis Arce.

Tensions have surged over the past three weeks since pro-Morales supporters erected crippling roadblocks aimed at rebuking Arce B次元官网网址� the ex-presidentB次元官网网址檚 former economy minister with whom heB次元官网网址檚 vying to lead BoliviaB次元官网网址檚 governing socialist party into next yearB次元官网网址檚 elections.

Calling for ArceB次元官网网址檚 resignation, the protesters have also sought to challenge his governmentB次元官网网址檚 attempt to revive a 2016 statutory rape case against Morales, an ethnic Aymara who was the first member of an Indigenous community to become the president of Latin AmericaB次元官网网址檚 only Indigenous-majority nation.

Morales has denied any wrongdoing. B次元官网网址淢y crime is being Indigenous,B次元官网网址� he said on Sunday.

The AP reached Morales after an arduous 11-hour journey by car, motorcycle and foot over hills and through the highlands, circumventing road blockades, crisscrossing routes littered with debris and squeaking through over a dozen security checkpoints, in some cases manned by profiteers.

Roadblocks are a common protest tactic in Bolivia, where the mountainous terrain means a few strategically positioned checkpoints can can isolate major cities and bring the country to a halt.

MoralesB次元官网网址� supporters have used it over past decades to great effect and did so again this month, escalating pressure on Arce to take action against protesters who have marooned hundreds of thousands of residents in the highlands, raising fears of food and gasoline shortages and hiking up already inflated prices in major cities, even the capital of La Paz.

B次元官网网址淚 see people rising up even more,B次元官网网址� said Eusebio Urbano, a farmer protesting in support of Morales at one of the road blockades Sunday. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know what this government thinks. B次元官网网址� They donB次元官网网址檛 try to solve anything. WeB次元官网网址檒l have to exert pressure until it leaves.B次元官网网址�

Last Friday, ArceB次元官网网址檚 government sent some 3,000 police officers armed with tear gas and backed by helicopters to break up the blockades by force.

Senior Minister Eduardo Del Castillo said security forces had arrested dozens of protesters in a crackdown that succeeded in clearing the road linking Cochabamba, BoliviaB次元官网网址檚 third-biggest city, and La Paz. He said security forces transferred over 50 of them to pre-trial detention in the capital.

B次元官网网址淲hat happened was very inhumane,B次元官网网址� Morales said, adding that his refusal to eat was also aimed at pressuring authorities to release the 66 detainees. B次元官网网址淭hese are humble people who were presented as terrorists.B次元官网网址�

It was the latest turn in BoliviaB次元官网网址檚 long-running political crisis, which escalated last week when gunmen ambushed MoralesB次元官网网址� convoy in what the former president claimed was a government-led assassination attempt. Officials in ArceB次元官网网址檚 government denied this, alleging that police opened fire because MoralesB次元官网网址� van had barreled through a security checkpoint.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檝e been using any tactic they can, politically, legally, morally and now, to end my life physically,B次元官网网址� Morales said.

From there, protests in MoralesB次元官网网址� defense only intensified. On Friday, ArceB次元官网网址檚 government accused his demonstrators of occupying military barracks in Chapare, a flashpoint for conflict since the U.S.-backed war on drugs in the 1990s. Authorities said that protesters seized weapons and held some 200 soldiers hostage Friday.

Morales and his supporters rejected reports of a violent hostage situation, with the leaderB次元官网网址檚 Kausachun Coca radio station airing footage that showed protesting union members and soldiers negotiating calmly while munching on coca leaves.

B次元官网网址淧lease, itB次元官网网址檚 not a take-over of military barracks,B次元官网网址� Morales said. B次元官网网址淭hey are vigils until their economic and political demands are met.B次元官网网址�

Del Castillo, the minister, said Sunday that the government is, in principle, open to negotiation with Morales. But he said authorities didnB次元官网网址檛 trust his motives.

B次元官网网址淢orales doesnB次元官网网址檛 care about the country, he cares about himself. He is looking for new confrontations,B次元官网网址� said Del Castillo. B次元官网网址淢orales has a whole script to destabilize the government.B次元官网网址�

The surge in tensions comes against the backdrop of a bitter rift at the highest rungs of BoliviaB次元官网网址檚 long-dominant Movement Toward Socialism party, which deepened last month when authorities announced their intention to arrest Morales on charges that he fathered a daughter with a 15-year-old girl in 2016 when he was 56 years old and president.

Morales and his supporters have decried the case as a political witch hunt aimed at blocking his candidacy in the 2025 election.

Arce insists that the current constitution B次元官网网址� which permits just two consecutive terms B次元官网网址� forbids Morales, who held power from 2006-2019, from running next year, anyway.

B次元官网网址淚t is a betrayal of the people, of the party activists, of the revolution,B次元官网网址� Morales said of ArceB次元官网网址檚 efforts to undercut him.

In neighboring Argentina, the government of far-right President Javier Milei on Saturday announced it had lodged a complaint accusing Morales of child abuse committed during the former presidentB次元官网网址檚 monthslong political exile in Argentina, from 2019 to 2020.

At that time, allegations of election fraud sparked mass protests that led Morales to resign under pressure from the military and flee to Mexico before seeking asylum in Argentina B次元官网网址� an ouster that Morales and his supporters view as a coup.

Now, years later, Morales B次元官网网址� who continues to evince intense support from the Indigenous population B次元官网网址� has seized upon growing discontent with his chosen successor.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not that I, Evo, want to be president, the people have asked me to return,B次元官网网址� Morales said. B次元官网网址淒uring my administration there was stability. When there is economic and political stability, there is happiness.B次元官网网址�

Many in the country have soured on Arce over the collapse of BoliviaB次元官网网址檚 once-growing economy built on cheap dollars and fuel. They look back fondly on the tenure of Morales, credited with lifting millions out of poverty and drastically narrowing BoliviaB次元官网网址檚 wealth divide during the nationB次元官网网址檚 natural gas boom.

B次元官网网址淣ow with more experience, we are ready to save Bolivia,B次元官网网址� Morales said, promising he would revive the flailing economy by having Bolivia join BRICS, a group of emerging economies seeking to counter Western dominance of the world order, and collaborating more closely with China.

The former president, now 65, isnB次元官网网址檛 sure how long his hunger strike will last. But he said heB次元官网网址檚 prepared for the deprivation.

B次元官网网址淚 do a lot of sports,B次元官网网址� Morales said. B次元官网网址淭oday I woke up at 4 a.m. and did 1,015 sit-ups.B次元官网网址�