Evo again

A little over six years have passed. So, I find myself for hours on a highway, in constant rain, heading towards the Tropics. It's impossible not to remember that first day. There, at the end of 2018, when I landed at El Alto airport, next to La Paz, the first time I set foot on Bolivian soil.

This time, he was heading to Villa Tunari to attend the celebration of the 30th anniversary of a political movement that transformed the reality of Bolivia, under the leadership of Evo Morales Ayma, the first indigenous person to preside over the country, between 2006 and 2019, when he suffered a coup that removed him from the nation's leadership.

Along the way, immense lines of vehicles at gas stations caught our attention. They immediately brought to mind scenes common to us Brazilians during times when fuel price increases were frequent. In the Andean country, however, the issue is different. There is a gasoline and diesel supply crisis. The wait stretches for hours, stimulating the parallel market. What costs 3,70 bolivianos at gas stations can reach 15 bolivianos at street stalls.

But ensuring we had enough fuel to return to Santa Cruz wasn't the only challenge. As we approached the event venue, a crowd was marching toward the stadium where the Congress would take place, making it difficult to move forward. They were ordinary people, almost all representatives of Bolivia's indigenous peoples.

Upon entering the stadium, a feeling of awe overwhelmed me. An impressive scene. A lesson in the capacity for political mobilization. The stands and the pitch were filled with an enthusiastic crowd, representing the country's nine departments, shouting slogans and waving their Whipalas, the checkered and colorful flag that represents the Plurinational State of Bolivia, as a demonstration of their determination to make things happen.

With video participation from Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Prize laureate; Rafael Correa, former president of Ecuador; and Cristina Kirchner, former president of Argentina, the speeches of numerous union and popular leaders were reinforced in support of Evo Morales' candidacy for another term as president.

The fuel supply crisis and rising food prices—a direct criticism of the current government of Luis Arce, whom all the leaders who spoke at the event called a traitor—served as a starting point for Evo himself to defend his candidacy. He recalled his 14 years in office, when Bolivia experienced, starting with El processo de cambio, the highest rates of economic growth and social inclusion in all of Latin America.

The opening ceremony of the Congress of the Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of the Peoples, which will present a program to the Bolivian people as a basis for Evo Morales' candidacy, ended with the chant of slogans: the one that gained prominence was "¡Evo no está solo, carajo!" (Evo is not alone, damn it!). What was evident to those who were there, and to those who did not have that privilege, was the multitude that walks with Evo.

Knowing a bit about politics in Bolivia, I would venture to say that, once the legal obstacles his opponents want to impose are resolved, Evo del pueblo will be president again!