Former Bolivian President Evo Morales barred from entering Peru, declared “persona non-grata”

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Peruvian Congress has recommended barring former Bolivian President Evo Morales from re-entering the country, declaring the former Bolivian president “persona non grata” in Peru due to "his negative political activism.”

During Monday's legislative session, the Committee considered that Morales has had an "evident interference and meddling" in the Peruvian agenda, which goes against the interests of the people of that country.

Pronunciamiento de la Comisión de Relaciones Exteriores en la que se Declara persona non grata a Juan Evo Morales Ayma. pic.twitter.com/Zce3G2XMZ3

— Comisión de Relaciones Exteriores (@ComisionRREE) November 22, 2021

The committee questioned why the former Bolivian president "repeatedly visits Peru" and for using state security protection and official vehicles when he visits to have meetings with private political organizations. An official letter issued by the committee also said Morales has made "ungrateful statements that warn about his own agenda according to foreign interests."

"On Peruvian soil, (Morales) makes statements regarding sensitive issues that divide the Peruvian population such as the formation of a constituent assembly to 're-found the country', nationalization of natural resources, implementation of policies that he calls anti-imperialist, nationalization of hydrocarbons, promotion of the application of coca crops, among others," adds the official letter with the decision.

In view of this, the Foreign Affairs Commission urged the authorities to prohibit the entry of the former president. Likewise, it requested the Ministries of Interior and Defense to "take the necessary actions" in order to comply with the agreement of the parliamentary commission.

On August 19, the Congress plenary rejected a motion presented by Congresswoman Norma Yarrow, which previously proposed to declare Evo Morales persona non grata.

The former president has been planning to visit the city of Cusco next December 20 and 21 to attend a meeting of the Runasur platform, a bloc of South American indigenous nations supported by Bolivia and whose support base is in the Union of South American Nations (Unasur, in Spanish).