Bolivia's Former Leader Walks Free After Supreme Court Ruling

Former Interim President of Bolivia Freed After Supreme Court Overturns Conviction

Jeanine Áñez, the former interim president of Bolivia, has been released from prison after nearly five years. The supreme court overturned her conviction for allegedly staging a coup. Áñez, now 58, left the Miraflores women’s center in La Paz on Thursday. She referred to the end of nearly two decades of rule by the leftwing Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas) party as "the monster" that had to go for her to walk free.

Añez's Release and Political Context

Áñez's release comes just before Rodrigo Paz Pereira, the 58-year-old president-elect, is set to be sworn into office this Saturday. He will replace Luis Arce of Mas, whose unpopularity led him to abandon plans for re-election amid the country's worst economic crisis in four decades.

Áñez's children had hoped she would be invited to Paz Pereira’s inauguration. Áñez herself stated that "the monster had to go for it to be recognised that there was never a coup d’état in this country – what there was, was an electoral fraud that drove all Bolivians to rise up."

Historical Background

Áñez assumed the interim presidency on 12 November 2019, two days after the resignation of then president Evo Morales of Mas and all other officials in the line of succession. Morales, despite the constitution barring him from running again, sought a fourth term, claiming it was a "human right." A blackout during the vote count was followed by results showing him as the winner. The country erupted in violent protests, and Morales resigned and fled to Mexico.

Controversies and Legal Battles

Supporters of Morales immediately branded Áñez’s assumption of power a coup. This perception was reinforced when she postponed presidential elections initially scheduled for May, citing the Covid-19 pandemic. Her interim government was marked by protests met with brutal repression by police and the army. Reports stated that Bolivia under Áñez persecuted opponents through "systematic torture" and "summary executions" of more than 20 protesters.

Áñez initially stood as a candidate in the 2020 election but, polling poorly, withdrew from the race. The election was ultimately won by the current president, Arce. In June 2022, Áñez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly placing herself illegally in the constitutional line of succession. However, on Thursday, the supreme court annulled the ruling, declaring that there had been no coup but rather "a constitutional necessity aimed at preserving the institutional continuity of the Bolivian state."