Bolivia's former leader Evo Morales seeks a political comeback from his stronghold in the tropics

LAUCA Ñ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia's former leader Evo Morales has a campaign pitch for 2025 that has worked elsewhere: Other politicians of recent years have brought you nothing but misery. It's time for a return to the past.

His supporters are looking to Morales for a rescue from the five tumultuous years since his 2019 resignation. The country's first Indigenous president, Morales is credited with spreading the wealth of a commodities boom and ushering in a rare stretch of social and economic stability during his nearly 14 years in office.

His detractors say Morales — who built an economy uncomfortably dependent on natural gas reserves and sought to stay in power longer than Bolivia’s constitution allows — bears responsibility for much of the turmoil that followed his tenure.

A bitter political battle is looming between Morales, 65, and his former economy minister and once-protégé, President Luis Arce, over who will lead their long-dominant leftist Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, into the August 2025 election.

Arce has unleashed allies in the judiciary against Morales, with the Constitutional Court disqualifying Morales' candidacy and ousting him from the leadership of MAS, a party he helped found in the 1990s.

Prosecutors in mid-December charged Morales with statutory rape for fathering a child with a 15-year-old girl when he was 56 and president. Morales didn't deny the relationship but accused Arce of deploying a “dirty, odious" campaign to undermine him.

Since talk of his arrest warrant surfaced in September, Morales has been holed up in Bolivia’s coca-growing region of Chapare, ringed by loyal supporters.

Here, the former coca farmer and fiery union leader — long considered one of the last of the so-called “pink wave” of leftist leaders who once dominated Latin American politics — is planning his comeback.

Few outsiders are allowed inside his stronghold in Bolivia’s steamy lowlands, but The Associated Press was invited last month for a look from behind the barricades.

“They don’t want me to be the candidate because they know I’ll win,” Morales told the AP. “We’re in a state of total siege, morally, legally and politically.”

The four-hour drive to Chapare from Bolivia’s third-biggest city of Cochabamba is steep and slick with mist.

A narcotics checkpoint from the U.S.-financed war on drugs that wreaked havoc across this jungle is far less intimidating than the makeshift checkpoints manned by Morales' followers.

As the van rumbled on, Pedro Cepita, a guide tasked with accompanying the AP, pointed out Morales' accomplishments in the long-stigmatized Chapare — university buildings, cell towers, an airport, a 25,000-seat soccer stadium.

Morales’ face adorns murals alongside cult heroes like Che Guevara and Fidel Castro. “Evo 2025-2030” slogans blanket brick houses.

“We’re in la Tierra de Evo," Cepita said — the Land of Evo.

At sandbagged checkpoints, Morales' supporters — some with batons on their belts — waved the van through only after recognizing Cepita.

Security forces, chased out by Morales’ followers, rarely venture here. Door-knocking census workers — even emergency rescuers responding to a deadly landslide last month — said they were harassed and kicked out by Morales’ coca union activists.

Earlier this month and after 40 days of negotiations, police began trickling back.

Coca farmers drying their leaves proudly recount how Morales kicked out U.S. anti-drug agents almost in the same breath as they extoll the benefits of the coca plant, cherished by Indigenous communities and maligned by the West as the raw material for cocaine.

“Brother Evo was in these fields with us,” said Jose Luis Calicho, 39, nodding toward Morales’ own plot of land. “He knows we’re not criminals, we’re not narco-traffickers.”

Since October, when gunmen opened fire at his convoy, Morales, who was unharmed, has slept inside the fortress-like compound of his coca-growing union. He says the shooting was an assassination attempt and blames Arce’s government, which denies involvement.

Outside the high walls, dozens of his followers lounge on tarps blocking the street. Some rest after all-night security shifts, others keep watch, their cheeks bulging with wads of coca — a mild stimulant.

“It’s our responsibility to Evo, we can’t take chances,” said Reyna Peñaloza, 44. “With us, he’ll return to power.”

Those who believe Morales’ comeback can close the door on years of political and economic paralysis are less clear about the kind of future he could bring.

“When I came to power in 2005, the nation was suffering, and I transformed it,” Morales said. “Now our crisis is even worse. We don't have fuel, we don't have dollars.”

Most Bolivians, stinging from surging inflation and waiting in long lines to fill their tanks, agree on that.

But attitudes toward Morales are starkly different in his remote redoubt in Chapare and the rest of the country of 12 million — especially when it comes to the 2016 statutory rape case that indelibly tarnished his reputation.

In the upscale districts of La Paz, the capital, residents say they're repulsed by his actions. Freshly painted graffiti asks: “Would you vote for a pedophile?”

“The political damage to Evo's good image is devastating,” said Romer Alejo, a criminal lawyer in La Paz.

Informal efforts to gauge public opinion in La Paz suggests that two or three out of every 10 Bolivians would vote for him.

His critics condemn Morales' constitution-bending efforts to hold onto power longer than any leader in Bolivia's modern history.

“We’re at a breaking point," said Martín Sivak, the author of a biography on Morales. “There’s a verdict from Bolivians on this idea of staying in power for too long.”

Legal troubles aside, whether Morales can reclaim his party and the country’s top job is unclear. His supporters say he’ll find a way around the court ban — perhaps by launching a new party.

But the packed crowds of 2014 are no longer there.

A recent MAS congress in Chapare declared Morales was the party’s “only legitimate candidate,” but a "Viva, Evo!” chant faded quickly in the half-full auditorium.

Still, Bolivia's right-wing opposition is fractured. Protests are mounting over Arce’s failure to halt a currency collapse. Morales’ supporters threaten to convulse the country if he’s not on the ballot.

“We’ll win through our struggle,” Morales loyalist and lawmaker Alina Canaviri Sullcani said. “There’s no alternative.”

Even if Morales has become too divisive, without him, many fear the long unstable Andean nation could veer back toward chaos.

Morales' 2019 ouster elevated a right-wing interim president, Jeanine Áñez, who cracked down on her political opponents and sought to purge Morales’ legacy.

On a hot, sticky morning last month, Morales emerged from his hideout with heavy security, to check on his fields. As he hunched over to cut weeds, his aides pulled out their smartphones to film him — a throwback to the early 2000s, when videos of the son of llama famers in his humble alpaca sweater were a magnet for foreign media.

But Morales didn't seem to notice. When everyone had gone, he kept on working. He said he wasn’t close to finishing.

Jhoselin Rivera tries on a wedding dress for her upcoming ceremony at a shop in Lauca N in the Chapare region of Bolivia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

FILE - Supporters of former President Evo Morales rest as they guard the coca growers union where Morales is staying in Lauca N in the Chapare region of Bolivia, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

FILE - Workers spread coca leaves to dry in the sun in the Villa 14 de Septiembre community of Bolivia's Chapare region, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

FILE - A man spreads out coca leaves to dry in the sun in the Villa 14 de Septiembre community of the Chapare region in Bolivia, Nov. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

FILE - Street vendors take cover from the rain in Lauca N in the Chapare region of Bolivia, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

FILE - The wall of a home is covered in the Spanish words: "Evo President 2025," referring to former President Evo Morales in Colomi, Bolivia, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

FILE - Former President Evo Morales gives an interview in Lauca N in the Chapare region of Bolivia, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

FILE - A vendor offers ice cream for sale to military police after they removed roadblocks set up by supporters of former President Evo Morales to prevent him from facing a criminal investigation over allegations of abuse of a minor while in office, in Parotani, Bolivia, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

FILE - Former President Evo Morales cuts weeds on his farm near Shinahota in the Chapare region of Bolivia, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

FILE - Former President Evo Morales attends a meeting with supporters in Lauca N in the Chapare region of Bolivia, Nov. 22, 2024, amid an ongoing political conflict with the government of President Luis Arce. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

FILE - People traverse a road blocked by supporters of former President Evo Morales to prevent him from facing a criminal investigation over allegations of abuse of a minor and to demonstrate against an alleged assassination attempt in Parotani, Bolivia, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

FILE - Protesters practice using slings as they block a road in support of former President Evo Morales in the face of an investigation of his alleged abuse of a minor while in office in Parotani, Bolivia, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

FILE - A mural that reads in Spanish, "Evo President 2025," referring to former President Evo Morales, covers a wall outside a home in Colomi, Bolivia, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

FILE - Former President Evo Morales chews coca in the Lauca N, Chapare region of Bolivia, Nov. 3, 2024, amid an ongoing political conflict with the government of President Luis Arce. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Moments after the Washington Commanders finished the 2023 season at 4-13 and locked up the second pick in the draft, Daron Payne was already feeling optimistic about the organization's long-term future.

In fact, the standout defensive tackle was bullish about success coming much quicker.

“You see it around the NFL,” Payne said on Jan. 7. "Just last year, the Houston Texans, man, they was horrible. Now, look at them. They’re a playoff team. All it takes is a couple pieces. A couple pieces, a couple good players and just start a run.”

Steps away from his locker stall, 357 days later, new coach Dan Quinn called over new general manager Adam Peters to celebrate the Commanders completing an improbable turnaround. Peters held a game ball from Washington's 30-24 overtime victory in his hand and addressed controlling owner Josh Harris.

“There's no better gift that you can give a man on his 60th birthday than a playoff berth,” Peters said, handing the ball to Harris while players cheered.

“Thank you guys for everything,” Harris exclaimed. “Playoffs!"

Jan. 11, 12 or 13 at Tampa Bay, Philadelphia or the Los Angeles Rams will be just Washington's seventh playoff game this century, and it comes in Jayden Daniels' breakout rookie season after taking the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback with the No. 2 pick.

“The fan base waited a long time for this,” Daniels said after leading another comeback victory. “I really can’t put into words how much it means to them and how much it means to me to be able to go out there and lead this franchise and this team to opportunities like that.”

Payne maybe had a premonition. Super Bowl champion tight end Zach Ertz agreed to join the Commanders in early March long before Daniels was drafted and even before veteran QB Marcus Mariota signed as a free agent.

After Harris and ownership put Peters in charge of football operations, then they collaborated to hire Quinn, Kliff Kingsbury was brought in to run the offense and Joe Whitt Jr. the defense.

“I knew with the staff that they were building that we were going to have a chance,” Ertz said.

Following Ertz to Washington were six-time All-Pro Bobby Wagner and fellow linebackers Frankie Luvu and Dante Fowler, safety Jeremy Chinn, running back Austin Ekeler, defensive end Dorance Armstrong and offensive linemen Nick Allegretti, Tyler Biadasz.

“We started bringing in veterans who I played against my whole life that a lot of them have torched us our whole life: Zach Ertz, Bobby Wagner — all these guys,” punter Tress Way said.

With Peters turning over more than half the 90-man training camp roster, gelling was important.

“Everybody had to get to know each other,” said Wagner, who won the Super Bowl with Seattle when Quinn was defensive coordinator there. “Everybody had to kind of build that camaraderie. And I think we did that really fast. There was a lot of guys that bought into the culture, bought into the people around them, had confidence in the people around them.”

Spring workouts allowed for that and helped the light bulb go off for Way, the team's longest-tenured player who endured a lot of losing over his decade in the league. He gave up his number to Daniels so the new face of the franchise could wear the same No. 5 on his chest that he did at Arizona State and LSU.

There were no regrets.

“The first time I saw ‘5’ throw the football, I just thought, ‘Well, let’s play some ball and see what happens,'” Way said.

Daniels was not anointed the starter when he arrived, nor at the beginning of training camp. It took a couple of preseason games before Quinn made that declaration.

“Nothing’s ever been given to anyone on this team,” Ertz said. “Even Jayden, they made him earn it throughout training camp, throughout the offseason. And that stuff doesn’t go unnoticed by players like myself who have been in the league for 12 years.”

Daniels lost his NFL debut, then led the Commanders on a four-game winning streak and victories in seven of the next eight while gutting through a rib injury, including a Hail Mary touchdown throw to beat Chicago among his many spectacular moments.

“His poise, him being able to stay calm in the pocket in pressure situations, you don’t get that from a lot of rookie quarterbacks,” receiver Jamison Crowder said. “I’m just glad, man, that he’s on my team."

The Commanders beat the New York Giants in Week 2 despite not scoring a touchdown thanks to seven field goals on seven tries from new kicker Austin Seibert. They beat Cincinnati on the road on Monday night, then won at Arizona and took care of business at home against Cleveland.

A predictable defeat at AFC heavyweight Baltimore followed to bring them back to earth. Teammates recalled Daniels' anger after losing, and it filtered around the room.

“Nobody gets down, but everybody gets (ticked) off,” Way said. “You don’t get sad. You just get mad and then you go back and do better.”

The rib injury sidelined Daniels early in a rout of Carolina, but he returned the following week to beat the Bears. Winning 27-22 at the Giants the following week to improve to 7-2 was the kind of “ugly game” that showed players what they could do when Daniels didn't have the magic touch.

“It was like, man, we’re just finding a way to win,” Way said. “There’s just this belief."

Daniels completed 60.98% of his passes in his first five games back. The Commanders lost three in a row in November to Pittsburgh, at Philadelphia and to Dallas.

They have not lost since, are 11-5 and have the chance to think about making a playoff run just as surprising as this season.

“I love being part of this group of guys, and it feels awesome to obviously be able to go to the playoffs in our first year,” Ertz said. "But we also feel like we still have some room to grow, room to improve. ... We just can’t rest on our laurels.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, center, on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) waves to the crowd after an overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 30-24. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) talks to reporters after an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won in overtime 30-24. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) passes during the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) celebrates his touchdown reception against Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (3) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) celebrates his touchdown reception during the second half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. (6) reacts after a defensive stop during the second half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

]Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (36) celebrates his touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz celebrates his game winning touchdown in overtime during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 30-24. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) celebrates his game winning touchdown in overtime during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 30-24. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) waves to the crowd after an overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 30-24. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)