Two separate explosions on Wednesday afternoon left seven people injured in La Paz, including Armonia Colque, wife of opposition leader Fidel Surco and two police officers. Although no one has officially claimed responsibility for the attacks, President Evo Morales has voiced his belief that the bombings were carried out by the “neo-liberal right” as part of a strategy to disrupt Bolivia’s December elections. Although both attacks were undertaken using letter bombs, authorities have not yet established a connection between the incidents.
Ms. Colque’s husband, Fidel Surco, who is a leader of the Consejo Nacional del Cambio (Conalcam) political party, denied President Morales’ comments and claimed that the attacks were in fact the start of a “dirty war” intended to terrorize social movements and opposition figures at the beginning of the general elections campaign. This sentiment was echoed by presidential candidates Manfred Reyes Villa and Samuel Doria Medina, who also denied opposition involvement in the attacks.
