La Paz, Bolivia - Bolivians are rebelling against a conservative government that answers to the US, former President Evo Morales told AFP Wednesday as protesters angry over economic hardship again packed the streets of La Paz.
The workers, farmers, truckers, Indigenous people, and others who have taken to the street since early May are also calling for the resignation of center-right president Rodrigo Paz, who accuses Morales of being behind the weeks-long protests.
But the socialist former president and Indigenous icon said it is Bolivians' anger over "a government that is utterly submissive" to the US that is fueling the unrest.
"I am totally convinced this rebellion is against the neo-liberal model and the neo-colonial state," said Morales, who led Bolivia from 2006 to 2019 and fled to Mexico after weeks of protests over a disputed presidential election result. He returned from exile in 2020, accusing coup-plotters of trying to assassinate him before he left.
Bolivia's first Indigenous president spoke in a virtual interview from his political stronghold in the coca-growing Chapare region.
Morales is protected by thousands of Indigenous people who are keeping police from arresting him on a warrant for suspected sexual abuse of a minor.
Morales said he survived an assassination attempt on Sunday after unidentified people opened fire on his vehicle.