Bolivia’s former President Evo Morales claims his car was shot at in attempted assassination

Former President Evo Morales of Bolivia claimed he survived an assassination attempt on Sunday after unidentified men opened fire on his car. He was not injured in the alleged attack that quickly became the latest flashpoint in a power struggle between the ex-leader and his protégé-turned-rival, current President Luis Arce.

Morales, 65, blamed President Arce’s government for the outburst of violence, saying it was part of a coordinated campaign by Bolivian authorities to sideline him from politics. The incident coincides with a bitter rift at the highest rungs of the ruling Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS. Morales and Arce, his former economy minister, are fighting to lead the party into next year’s elections.

“This is not an isolated incident,” the Morales-aligned bloc of the divided MAS party said in a statement. “It’s clear evidence that we are facing a fascist government that does not hesitate to attack the life of former President Evo Morales.”

Read more: AP