By Pablo Solón

[Español, français] Saturday, the night of November 24. Any resemblance to reality is pure coincidence. A series of questions pass through Evo’s mind as he reads the law that just passed unanimously in the Senators and Deputies chamber:

Why did they not consider my resignation letter in the Legislative Assembly? Does my party not have more than two thirds in the parliament? How can they unanimously approve, together with the coup plotters, a law to annul the elections of October 20, and call to new elections? Why did they not follow the path to reject my resignation and thus make it clear to the world that there are two governments, one fascist and racist coup, and another legitimate and indigenous ready to return to Bolivia? Do they not realize that by not discussing my resignation letter they are admitting that I abandoned my duties and that is why Añez proclaimed herself President?

If Adriana Salvatierra of my party, MAS, had not renounced to be president of the Senate everything would have been different. She would have been the interim president of Bolivia. But then, it would have been impossible to speak of a coup. How can we denounce a coup d’état if a militant of my own party replaces me in the presidency? Salvatierra had to resign. But in the end, she did not renounce her seat just the presidency of the Senate. What a mess! I don’t know. Something went wrong. How was it possible that having an absolute majority in parliament we let Añez proclaim herself president? Why didn’t we go to that session of the parliament? If we had gone, another person from our party could have been president. But again, how to cry coup d’état if a parliamentarian of my own party replaces me?

Evo reads again the law approved by all his parliamentarians that calls for new elections.

How can they call new elections without respecting my human right to indefinite reelection? How can my parliamentarians ratify article 168 of the Political Constitution of the State that limits re-election to one time on a continuous basis? I do not understand, how those deputies and senators of my political party can end up validating the referendum of February 21 that was a lie. I didn’t go to re-election for a fourth term because I wanted. I would have gone quietly to my house. It is the social organizations that insisted that I should run again for the presidency. Now, how can you turn your back on me and say that there can only be one re-election? And all unanimously! Not one of my parliamentarians voted against, nor defended my human right to indefinite re-election as mandated by the ruling of our Constitutional Court. What’s wrong with them? Are they not in those seats thanks to me, Evo?

I do not understand, how do you not realize that everything was planned and prepared well in advance by the embassy, ​​the CIA and the right? Why, if we are an absolute majority in parliament, do we not pass a law, a resolution against the racist coup of imperialism? What happened to them? They were afraid? Did they buy them? All?

Someone takes him out of his thoughts to inform him of the negotiation that is broadcasted through the state channel between the social movements that support him and the cabinet of the interim president:

And the social movements? How can they negotiate with the coup leaders guarantees for union leaders and forget about me? Why have they not conditioned the whole agreement to give me immunity? How can they fall into the trap of accepting that there should be no impunity for those who committed crimes? Are not all these acts part of the legitimate defense of my government?

How can they talk about social peace without me? Did they not listen to Garcia Linera: “The sun is going to hide and everything will be sad if Evo leaves”? I can’t understand how leaders can hug coup makers and even smile at them. What’s wrong with them? And when they were asked if they were willing to defend Juan Ramón (former Minister of the Presidency)? No one raised his hand. What happens to these union leaders who even proposed that the military stay to guard the Senkata gas plant? Why are they not “machos” (brave), like me?

And now, what are we going to tell the international press in relation to this law passed unanimously and these agreements with the coup plotters? The only thing that can be said. Coup d’état. Everything is part of the coup. In the end, what matters is that the military interrupted my mandate and there are dozens of deaths. The rest are details that only counterrevolutionaries ask as Garcia Linera says. And the international left? What they want to hear: Coup, the resistance continues.

And now? Who will be the presidential candidate for the MAS? Evo writes some names on a piece of paper. What if the new MAS candidates win the elections? It´s possible. In the first round, the right atomizes and MAS wins. But there will be a second round and there it will be impossible. The right will not allow it.

But what if? Everything is possible? Who would have thought a month ago that I would end up in Mexico?

What if the new president of the country does it better than me? Impossible. The economic crisis is going to explode and everyone will ask me to come back. But if my own political party is in charge of the new government then they will blame us. Which is better?

And in the meantime, what will Alvaro Garcia Linera do as vice president in exile? And, what will I do?

*This essay is not an actual interview nor recounting of Evo Morales’ actual thoughts but rather a summary of questions that may arise in the mind of the ex-President due to the recent developments in Bolivia.