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| - Thousands of supporters of Bolivia's ex-president Evo Morales crowded into his political stronghold Wednesday for a climactic rally to mark his triumphant return to his homeland. Morales arrived in Chimore, in the heart of Bolivia's coca-growing region, at the head of a cavalcade of vehicles, including some that accompanied him on a 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) homecoming tour since crossing the border from Argentina on Monday. "In the past year I've never felt abandoned," he told the crowd, referring to his year in exile, initially in Mexico and later in Argentina. Morales fled Chimore a year ago to the day, having lost the support of the armed forces amid violent protests against his re-election to an unconstitutional fourth term. The leftist former leader again accused the United States of provoking a "coup d'etat" because of Washington's interest in Bolivia's giant lithium reserves. The former leader was to have been joined in Chimore by new President Luis Arce, his successor as head of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party, according to the organizers of the homecoming rally. Former economy minister Arce won the re-run of the annulled election last month and was inaugurated on Sunday. Morales explained away his absence by telling the crowd he was unavoidably elsewhere on state business, and was "in the middle of organizing the public administration." So far Arce and his ministers have kept their distance from Morales, who though popular, remains a divisive figure in Bolivia. Many Bolivians believe his return risks derailing the new president's stated intention to unite the country after a year of rule by a right-wing interim government. The ex-president has repeatedly said he will not engage in politics, though his critics remain skeptical. Thousands of peasant farmers and miners, almost all of them indigenous, have flocked to towns and villages on the journey to greet their returning hero, dancing to the music of brass bands and waving the multi-colored indigenous wiphala flag. Many of them repeated the same mantra as his cavalcade, at times numbering around 100 vehicles, swept into their villages: "Evo is like us." "Here are his people, he knows how to listen to the indigenous people," said Elizabeth Arcaide, a 43-year-old woman who wiped away tears during a rally in Orinoca, where hundreds turned out at a local football ground under a scorching sun to welcome the "son of the people." Bolivia has one of the largest indigenous populations of any Latin American country, some 41 percent of its 11.5 million population. "Shows of affection demand our commitment and loyalty to the most humble people. We will not let them down," Morales said during the journey. In the village of Isallave, near Orinoca, Morales made an emotional visit to the adobe, thatched-roof house where he was born 61 years ago. "One must always return to one's roots to strengthen one's ajayu (soul)," he said. In nearby Orinoca, where he grew up, stands the Museum of the Democratic and Cultural Revolution, a gigantic modern construction that pays homage to the nearly 14 years he spent in power. The contrast with its humble surroundings are stark, as goats and chickens roam the crisscrossed streets. Political analyst Carlos Cordero downplayed the significance of the ex-president's return. "For supporters of Evo Morales it is important news, for the rest of the country, where he has many detractors, it's anecdotal." "Evo Morales is a historic leader, but politics is now in the hands of Luis Arce. Evo Morales will have to retrain himself in order to return to power." ml/nn/db/bfm
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