MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivia's National Action Party restored legal status

PAN-Bol has now until June 6 to register its candidates. Shall it include Evo Morales?

Bolivia's National Action Party (PAN-Bol) has successfully reversed the cancellation of its legal status after a favorable ruling by the Fourth Constitutional Chamber of the Departmental Court of Justice of La Paz on Monday, which instructed the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) to issue a new resolution.

 Party leader Ruth Nina welcomed the decision, stating that it allows the organization to fully participate in the upcoming elections. She emphasized that their political rights have been restored and confirmed that they have already submitted the required documentation for candidate registration.

The TSE had previously canceled PAN-Bol's legal status based on a complaint by activist Peter Erlwein Beckhauser, who contended that the party had failed to meet the minimum 3% vote threshold in the 2020 general elections. In response, the party filed a constitutional appeal, arguing that the decision violated its political rights. Nina also accused electoral authorities of acting with political motives.

“The Constitutional Chamber has left without effect that illegal and arbitrary resolution of the Electoral Tribunal in which our legal personality was annulled,” Nina stated. Hence, PAN-Bol can now register candidates for deputies, senators, and a presidential ticket. “We have until June 6 to register our candidates,” Nina also pointed out.

Last week, former President Evo Morales, who is legally banned from running again after having served more than the maximum two terms in office, insisted that he had registered his candidacy under the grouping ”Estamos Volviendo Obedeciendo al Pueblo (Evo Pueblo),“ with all documents submitted in time before a notary public.

”I inform [the citizenry] that our Political Instrument, Evo Pueblo (Estamos Volviendo Obedeciendo al Pueblo), fulfilled the requirements and deadlines established to register our binomial through the digital system of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE). The physical registration -attaching the forms of our candidates and the required original documents- was carried out in the offices of the TSE with the intervention of a Notary Public,” Morales wrote on X.

Also last week, lawyer Wilfredo Chavez announced that the Evo Pueblo's list of candidates had been presented by e-mail with the acronym of the Bolivian National Action Party (PAN-Bol). However, at that time, neither “Evo Pueblo” nor PAN-Bol had legal status, which has now changed.