Bolivia's ex-president Morales quits ruling party

LA PAZ -- Bolivia's ex-president Evo Morales on Thursday resigned from the ruling Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), a party he led for nearly three decades and that catapulted him to power for more than 13 years.

Morales' lawyer, Hector Rodriguez, submitted his resignation via a notarized document to the electoral body after a first attempt on Tuesday was rejected due to legal procedural issues.

From his political stronghold in the Tropic of Cochabamba, Morales has reiterated his intention to run again for president in elections scheduled for August as the candidate of the Front for Victory. However, his candidacy faces a legal hurdle as a constitutional ruling in 2023 limits presidential terms to two, consecutive or discontinuous.

The ex-president also faces an arrest warrant as part of an investigation into human trafficking and statutory rape, which has limited his movements outside his zone of influence.

Morales, under the banner of the MAS party, governed Bolivia for three consecutive terms (2006-2019), but his attempt at reelection in 2019 resulted in a political crisis, after allegations of electoral fraud led to the annulment of the elections and his subsequent resignation amid social turmoil.