EU rejects accusation about link with alleged “coup d’état” in Bolivia

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The European Union (EU), together with the diplomatic missions of its Member States in Bolivia, on Thursday (5) “categorically” rejected the accusations of having participated in 2019 in a “conspiracy to prepare a coup d’état” in the country.

The EU statement notes that in November 2019, during the political and social crisis that Bolivia experienced after the failed elections of that year, it had “helped facilitate meetings, under the leadership of the Church, involving key actors from all parties” including the ruling Movement Towards Socialism (MAS).

Read also: Check out our coverage on Bolivia

The objective of these meetings was “to help pacify the country in times of extreme tension by facilitating a platform for dialogue to avoid further violence and put an end to the crisis that shook the country,” the bulletin states.

“The European Union and Bolivia have long maintained fruitful and diverse relations, based on a sustained bilateral dialogue,” concludes the communiqué of that body.

The EU has been accused on several occasions recently by officials and sectors related to the ruling party, for its alleged involvement in what the current government considers a “coup d’état” against then-President Evo Morales.

In the midst of that crisis, Evo Morales resigned from the Presidency, denouncing that he was forced out by a coup d’état.

Former president Carlos Mesa and leader of the opposition force Comunidad Ciudadana (CC), expressed through Twitter that the EU sent “a hard message” to Luis Arce’s government “denying the existence of a ‘coup d’état’ and ratifying the democratic objective of the November 2019 meetings.”

Likewise, former President Jorge Quiroga pronounced himself and argued that the EU “must support its report on the 2019 fraud.” “The EU in Bolivia rejects the ‘coup’ plot staged by the MAS, now EU must back its report on fraud ’19,” Quiroga wrote.

The European Union indicated at the time that it fully shared the Organization of American States (OAS) assessment of the annulled 2019 electoral process. The OAS report detected “severe” irregularities, such as manipulating the computer system to transmit and compute results.

In July, the Bolivian Senate asked for an investigation of some diplomatic representations, among them the European Union.