Camacho: "The pure truth can never be erased from history: there was no coup, there was fraud"

In a letter addressed to the Bolivian people, Luis Fernando Camacho, the governor of Santa Cruz currently imprisoned by the government of Luis Arce, denounces “politics based on a big lie that has prevailed in the country: the affirmation that there was a coup d’état” in 2021.

Camacho assures that the truth will always prevail, citing the saying that “lies have short legs.” In addition, he points out that even the deputies of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) themselves publicly acknowledged a few days ago that there was not a coup, but rather it was Evo Morales who instructed to request his own resignation to create chaos and a power vacuum, with the intention of returning as a savior.

The opposition leader explains the reasons why the MAS “invented” the narrative of the coup. First, to cover up the alleged electoral fraud. Second, to provide a pretext for President Arce to establish a dictatorship similar to that of Venezuela, allowing him to hunt down and imprison opposition leaders across the country. And, thirdly, to ignore and erase from history the struggle of the Bolivian people, especially in the department of Santa Cruz, who rose up in defense of democracy.

Camacho points out that the “invention” of the coup serves the interests of the government current, but it is detrimental to the country and liberty. In his letter, he reaffirms his commitment to the truth and recalls the events that led Evo Morales to resign in November 2019. Among them, he mentions the massive Cabildo held in Santa Cruz, where more than a million and a half people gave him the mandate to call an indefinite strike in the event that the people’s vote was not respected in the elections.

In addition, it details the arbitrary suspension of quick vote count by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, the manipulation of the counting system and the massive protests that broke out throughout the country in rejection of fraud. It also highlights the resignation of important figures, such as the vice president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal and the Minister of Economy at that time, who did not mention any coup, but rather problems related to the electoral process.

“The history of our country is not a toy that can be handled at the convenience of massism. The whole of Bolivia participated in the fight against fraud in 2019. And, although President Arce dedicates himself to persecuting and imprisoning all his opponents and insists on ignoring the Bolivian people’s fight for democracy, will never be able to erase from history the pure truth: there was no coup, there was fraud”, says Camacho in the letter.

Despite his imprisonment situation, Camacho concludes his letter by highlighting that the truth and its faith always enjoy freedomremembering the words of Jesus Christ about how the truth will set us free.

The Santa Cruz Governor’s Management Advisor, Efraín Suárez, was in charge of reading Camacho’s letter at a press conference.