Peruvian Congress declares Evo Morales “persona non grata” and former Bolivian president responds

The Peruvian Congress Foreign Relations Commission declared former Bolivian President Evo Morales “persona non grata” for “his negative political activism in Peru”. Faced with this, the founder of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) replied that “unity and solidarity” is above what is expressed by parliamentarians.

The declaration, approved by a majority of this committee, is to symbolic character. The full text was posted on the Twitter account of its president, Ernesto Bustamante, a member of the right-wing Popular Force party, whose leader, Keiko Fujimori, was Pedro Castillo’s main candidate in this year’s presidential elections.

“To declare Evo Morales Ayma a disagreeable person in our country for his negative political activism in Peru and its obvious interference and interference in the political, social and economic agenda of the government of Peru, clearly prejudicial to the interests of the Peruvian people ”, says one of the paragraphs of the document signed by Bustamante.

The letter asks the “competent authorities” to prohibit the entry of the ex-president Bolivian the Peruvian territory and the Ministries of the Interior and Defense “are taking the necessary measures to comply with this agreement”.

Faced with this announcement, the former Bolivian president replied in a trill that the two countries “are brothers with historical and unwavering links of struggle for dignity and sovereignty” and added that “unity and solidarity” are passing. before what is expressed by the group of members of Congress. “We hope they are not part of racism“he added.

Last August, when the former president of the Council of Ministers, Guido Bellido, went to Congress to ask for a vote of confidence in the ministerial cabinet he heads, he began his speech in Quechua, but was interrupted by the President of Parliament, María del Carmen Alva, who asked him to translate, while some parliamentarians shouted at him to learn to speak.

In addition, the presidential campaign in Peru was marked by expressions of classism and racism on the part of Fujimori’s supporters against Castillo and his supporters, mainly from rural and indigenous areas of the country.

What are the reasons?

The statement explains that since July of this year, Morales has been traveling to Peru and has organized “proselytizing meetings with different political organizations” in that country, which “attends in official vehicles” and “offers thankless statements warning against their own agenda according to foreign interests ”.

Likewise, it is stated that he referred to “sensitive issues that divide the Peruvian population”, such as the formation of a Constituent Assembly, the nationalization of natural resources and hydrocarbons, anti-imperialist policies, expansion of coca cultivation and the rejection of American organizations such as the DEA and USAID, which were expelled by La Paz during Morales’ tenure.

Another reason mentioned in the statement reaches even Runasur, a South American platform of social movements promoted by Morales, whose meeting would be held in the Peruvian city of Cusco, between December 20 and 21. of the patronage of national authorities ”is not officially known.

Evo Morales and Peru

The Bolivian leader walked into the neighboring country on July 26 to witness the leftist swearing in as the new president two days later. Arriving at the border area of ​​Desaguadero, in the department of Puno, he declared that he was in “permanent contact“with Castillo during the campaign and that they had” political and programmatic coincidences. “His previous visit took place in 2018, after the International Criminal Court rejected Bolivia’s request to negotiate an exit to the sea with Chile.

During his days in Peru, he met the founder of the ruling Peru Libre party, Vladimir Cerrón, and expressed his desire for Bolivian President Luis Arce and his Peruvian counterpart to establish a bilateral agenda.

Morales also organized meetings with union representatives of Peruvian teachers and coca leaf producers. Coming out of this last meeting, he declared that they agreed to “work for unity”, that “Latin America is not the backyard of the United States” and referred to the need to create an Andean Council of Coca Producers.

The former Bolivian president also said at the time that Argentina, Bolivia and Peru had to industrialize lithium as states.

Last August, the Bolivian leader was in the Peruvian city of Arequipa, where he participated in the first National Youth Congress. From there he expressed his agreement with the convening of a Constituent Assembly in the Andean country, which was one of Castillo’s campaign promises. “It is a new refoundation for Peru, as it was done in Bolivia“, noted.