Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first Indigenous president and one of Latin America’s most prominent leftists, recently made a dramatic return to Bolivia after being in exile for a year. Morales was not clear as to when or if he would return to Bolivia, so his arrival left people shocked and excited. 

George Xuezhi Guo, professor and chair of the Political Science Department at Guilford College, spoke on this matter, saying, “In Latin America they want to have a strong government and large government that is taken care of by the population.” 

Morales did an excellent job of making sure the population of Bolivia got the attention that they deserved, which is one of the reasons why there was such a strong outpour of support upon his return to Bolivia. 

Jon Lee Anderson, a reporter from The New Yorker, also discussed the recent events with Evo Morales: “Morales had fled Bolivia in November, after he was accused of trying to steal an election, and the country’s military chief publicly suggested that he resign.”  

Anderson then pointed out that this scandal led to division among the Bolivian population. Morales had a strong base of supporters, and it was hard to tell if these accusations were true.  However, the rumors resulted in Morales’s exile.

From photographs, it seems that people are happy with Morales’s return to Bolivia. The New York Times published an article by Maria Silvia and Anatoly Kurmanaev, with the title, “Evo Morales Returns to Bolivia to Cheers—and Worries.”

Guo emphasized the uncertainties surrounding Morales’ return, and whether he came back because wants to run for president again or if he just wanted to make an appearance in Bolivia after being in exile for almost a full year.

 On Twitter, Morales wrote: “Today is one of the most important days of my life. To be returning to the country that I love fills me with happiness.” 

While there is some discussion on whether he broke serious laws, many believe that he cares a lot about the people in Bolivia and wants the best for them. Morales was wearing bright colors the day he returned to Bolivia, possibly symbolizing peace within Bolivia. People seemed overjoyed and united when he came back and spoke up about his return.