“We gave Arce the safe-conduct, he instead enjoys seeing me imprisoned today”

Juan Pérez Munguía / La Paz

Former President Jeanine Añez revealed that in 2019 Luis Arce was desperate to leave the country and that the transitional government gave him the safe conduct he required. He regretted that now, on the other hand, the head of state enjoys seeing her imprisoned.

The ex-president, who has been in detention for almost 10 months, gave an interview to Página Siete, which she responded through manuscripts. In those pages he reveals details of his government, mentions that probably many of his collaborators negotiated with the leadership of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) and that many of the members of the Democrats took advantage of his inexperience.

Añez assumed the presidency on November 12, 2019, after the power vacuum left by Evo Morales when he resigned on November 10 and when he left the country, a day later, for Mexico.

The ex-president is prosecuted for the so-called “coup d’état” case. He is accused of the alleged commission of the crimes of sedition, conspiracy, resolutions contrary to the Constitution and the laws and breach of duties.

Former President, you are in prison for nine months, you recently reported assaults. Are these types of actions constant?

For months I had a respectful relationship with police personnel. As of the change of director of the prison, the prisoners and some police officers changed.

There is the bullying instruction, unfortunately. The Penitentiary Regime authorities must be satisfied. I know that there is an order to kill me and day by day they advance.

The Government sent documentation to the IACHR signed by you, in which you supposedly admit that you are stable. What happened? Do you think that they took advantage of your state of health to make you sign documents for the IACHR to deny you the precautionary measures?

The government’s release was a liar and manipulated, that’s what they are experts for. I would have liked to see what was the document that I signed, knowing the capacity they have to lie, I do not sign anything.

What’s more, an officer attacked me to force me to sign a document and no one investigates it. This is Bolivia.

Was it a mistake to stay in the country after your mandate ended, when the MAS was already announcing actions?

I always knew they wanted revenge. Evo Morales is a man full of hatred and resentment, he speaks with hatred. A person who runs the government from behind, like him, and who dared to deny the existence of a dead son is my highest judge. The word says that what your heart abounds comes out of your mouth.

What I did not imagine was an outrage and abuse. Apparently that makes them happy. Abuse and outrage make them feel powerful. He (Morales) is known for mistreating ladies, young ladies and girls, and today he mistreats me, the former president of Bolivia.

If in order to avoid a civil war, the one that the MAS was seeking, to pacify the country and give peace to Bolivians at a time of so much violence, I had the consequence for me in jail, that is what touched me. I do not evade responsibilities, I would do it again. I fulfilled my patriot duty, I have a clear conscience. We face violence and call for new elections.

You gave Luis Arce safe conduct for health issues, now they deny that he can be treated in a clinic, how do you qualify this action of the current authorities?

Yes, someone very close to Luis Arce called us to ask for him, who was desperate to get out of Bolivia. Seeing his health situation, we gave him the safe-conduct immediately.

On the other hand, today he (Arce) enjoys (to) see me imprisoned, I have found out that he makes jokes about me and my misfortune in prison, he probably obeys Morales, who is a resentful man and an abuser of women and people. A pity that he did not understand the message of the Bolivians, in 2019, that he no longer wanted a ruler full of hatred who only parted the country and did not unite it.

(Luis Arce) has become an “interim” president, while Evo Morales is looking for a way to get comfortable again. It’s a matter of time before Evo hits Arce and he knows it.

Do you think that you are in prison as part of the MAS strategy to deny the electoral fraud of 2019, to clean up the image of the party and of former president Evo Morales?

Undoubtedly, Evo Morales has the need to wash his image trying to invent a sordid story of a coup d’état, when the whole country, the world and international organizations know that what he did was a shameful and blatant electoral fraud, which had as consequence of the social upheaval that we live.

All situations of violence, terrorist acts such as surrounding the city of La Paz and not allowing food to enter, trying to blow up the Senkata plant, burning police modules, private houses, etc., we owe it to their ambition to perpetuate themselves. in the power.

That’s where the thirst for revenge comes from. He could not carry out the plan to leave, generate violence, power vacuum and return as the savior. He wanted to imitate what Hugo Chávez did in Venezuela in the past and it went wrong.

His plans failed, as he came across a woman, me, the one who thwarted his plans. That does not forgive him, since he is an abuser of women and must control them and he could not do it with me or Eva Copa, since it was necessary to pacify the country.

Many approached you when you assumed the presidency, ministers from various sectors were appointed, when your popularity dropped and the covid affected your management, they left, what did you feel at that moment?

It was very hard to face the covid in the first wave, with a non-existent and poor health system that they were not able to improve in 14 years, despite the economic boom.

They only made works to be able to steal and take bribes from each work, but the public purpose was not worth them, since the population is attentive to what is done and (especially) in health purchases, so there are more eyes looking and Evo and his elite couldn’t do much in health because they would be found easily.

As was the case, respirators, those involved are mainly masistas, and remember that Gabriela Montaño spoke with them during the acquisition and investigation process. The pandemic made all the governments of the world have a hard time and we see how fragile we governors are.

Unfortunately, the pandemic came as a transitional government. I never had total control of the government, since it was formed within hours after the resignation of Evo Morales, and several of the negotiators to pacify the country with some sectors of the MAS did not coordinate directly with me. They were hard times and of great tension, where many politicians, people, ministers, authorities and in many cases acted independently.

There were many MAS officials in decision-making positions, the case of respirators is an example, why were they not removed?

It was definitely a big mistake, I couldn’t meet all the officials from the different ministries. Great was my surprise when I found out that the people who worked with Gabriela Montaño, from when she was president of the Senate and Deputies until reaching the Ministry of Health, were still working in my government. I also asked the ministers that question without having a coherent and transparent answer.

It pains me to say it, but many of my former ministers and collaborators probably negotiated with Evo and the Masista elite.

Have leaders or representatives of the MAS ever approached you to avoid being imprisoned?

Yes, several communicated and sent messages. Of those who are currently in government, several. I will go on mentioning who they are (these and these), as they appear in court.

Of course, among them, the current Minister of Government, Eduardo del Castillo, sent me a direct message, asking me to talk about something personal. He wrote me a WhatsApp stating: “President, I would like to talk to you about a personal matter.”

We were unable to arrange the meeting. I received many messages a day, really many, there were days when it was impossible to read all of them, since my schedule was saturated with the pacification of the country and then the pandemic.

Did the MAS negotiate with your government? If so, what did you negotiate?

I will give that answer in due course. The country needs to understand what happened during the time that I assumed as president. I will mention this to international organizations when they come to listen to me.

What I can mention now is that we had many meetings with different sectors to pacify the country, this was urgent and necessary. Many ministers made agreements and arrangements for it and it was the right thing to do because Bolivia required peace.

After pacifying the country, I would say that we had to coordinate with the Legislative Assembly, such as laws 1270 and 1266, one that annulled the 2019 elections due to electoral fraud and the other to extend the mandate.

It must be remembered that the MAS had 2/3 in the Assembly. These laws were approved unanimously, even with the vote of Mrs. Lidia Patty, who was a deputy and now calls herself a “victim” in the processes that the government follows me.

To reach these agreements we had to give up many things requested by the social movements and before the Assembly, Eva Copa as well.

She finally worked for the good of the country, to pacify it, while the Masista elite escaped and wanted to burn it. Today to Copa for being a woman, the abuser, Evo, cannot stand that she wanted the good of the country versus the violence that Evo Morales and his elite demanded.

It was also said at some point that “we negotiate” so that the MAS does not cancel its acronym. It must be clarified that this is the responsibility of the Electoral Tribunal and not of the Executive Power, and on the other hand there was the threat of returning to convulse the country if that happened.

Democrats, your political organization, turned its back on you, what role did Rubén Costas and Ernesto Suárez play during 2020 and the electoral campaign?

Sadly, I must say that many in my party took advantage of my inexperience to govern this beautiful country. They took advantage of my good faith and to think that everything was solved by talking and giving in. But that is simply a wound and I point out that we seek the greater good among those loyal to the Bolivia vision and that is why we decided to lower my candidacy.

What is your day in jail like? What activities do you carry out?

I am kidnapped in this jail, I have had many health problems. I have to be controlled by the deterioration of my health, I have many blackouts.

The only thing that reassures me today is seeing my two children and taking my prescription pills from my private doctors.

In my experience it is worse to be a political prisoner than to be in prison for having committed a crime. I will probably die in this prison, but the good thing is that I am at peace with my God and my death will finally end the thirst for revenge and hatred of Evo and his elite.

I forgive you and hope you find peace one day. Of course, they will never be able to erase from history that I was constitutional president of Bolivia, after the resignation of a fraudulent president.