Two Bolivian parliamentarians staged scenes of violence on Tuesday (8) during a public session during which a government minister spoke of the arrest of former president Jeanine Añez.
Senator Henry Montero and MP Antonio Gabriel Colque exchanged several punches and kicks until they were separated by their colleagues in the House, according to images broadcast by Bolivian television.
Montero belongs to the Creemos party, along with the ultra-right and former presidential candidate Luis Fernando Camacho. Colque is from the Movement towards Socialism (MAS), Evo Morales and the current president, Luis Arce.
The fight took place during a session in which government minister Carlos Eduardo del Castillo provided an overview of the political conflict in Bolivia since Evo’s resignation in November 2019, reiterating the account that the indigenous leader has was the victim of a coup to leave the presidency.
“History shows that the people imposed themselves on the interim government [de Añez]. Now we know the truth. In Bolivia, there was a coup that killed people and stole money from Bolivians, ”Castillo said.
In March, Añez was arrested for conspiracy. She was found hidden inside a box bed. At the time, Castillo himself was escorting the former president.
Añez’s allies, who in the current government are again opponents, claim his arrest was an act of political persecution, reject the coup charge and claim that what drove the Bolivian people into the streets in 2019 is the series of electoral fraud accusations. against Evo.
During Tuesday’s session, Castillo shouted at lawmakers Creemos, calling them “accomplices” to the coup led by Camacho, one of the protagonists in the maneuver that led to Evo’s resignation and who, in the last election, became governor of the prosperous Region of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
Montero demanded respect and then began chatting with Colque and other pro-government lawmakers around him. It was then that the exchange of punches and kicks began. Colque, who appears in the footage wearing a blue jacket, even falls to the ground, where he continues to fight his political opponent.
In another part of the Congress building, two parliamentarians from the same parties also attacked each other. MPs Tatiana Añez (Creemos) and María Alanoca (MAS) exchanged hair shoots and pulls.
The session of Congress was suspended for several minutes until the climate of violence ceased and Minister Castillo resumed his presentation.