Evo Morales says ‘Trump’s defeat is defeat of racist policies’ as he prepares to return to Bolivia from self-exile

Former Bolivian leader Evo Morales, who resigned amid protests and riots last year, has promised to return to his home country. He also said Trump’s election loss would mean the defeat of “interventionist” policies.

Morales said he “will be crossing the border” into Bolivia on Monday. “I hope I won’t have any legal problems,” the politician added, explaining that Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez would accompany him “for security reasons.” Fernandez is due to travel to Bolivia to attend the inauguration of president-elect Luis Arce. 

Having led the landlocked South American country since 2006, Morales was forced to step down in November 2019 amid protests and intense riots sparked by accusations of vote-rigging. He first self-exiled in Mexico and then moved to Argentina. He alleged a “national and international coup d’état” had been staged against him.

The victory of Morales’s party, Movement for Socialism (MAS-IPSP), and of his close ally, Arce, in the October election has paved a way for the politician’s return to his home country. On Saturday, Morales thanked “the people of Argentina and President Fernandez that provided a shelter for me.” 

The former head of Bolivia also shared his views on the recent US presidential vote. “Trump’s electoral defeat is the defeat of racist and fascist policies. The interventionist practices have also been defeated, as well as their inhumane attacks against Mother Earth,” Morales wrote on Twitter.

He earlier conveyed the same sentiment to reporters, saying “we are not happy if Biden wins, but we are happy if Trump loses.” The former president claimed that the “conspiracy” to oust him occurred “under Trump’s mandate.”

After a highly-contentious race, major US news outlets projected that former vice president Joe Biden has scored above 270 Electoral College votes required to beat incumbent Trump and win the White House. Trump, however, refused to concede and alleged that there was widespread voter fraud against his supporters.

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