Buenos Aires, Feb 22 Former Bolivian President slammed the rejection of his senatorial candidacy by his country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) and called it an "attack on democracy".
"We complied with all the requirements. Afterwards, two former members of the electoral agency informed me that, by instruction of the US embassy, they did not approve the legality (of the candidacy)," Xinhua news agency quoted Morales as saying at a press conference here on Friday.
"They forced me not to be a candidate in these elections. I have accepted it; I am not a candidate. I accept it all for Bolivia," he said.
Morales said that the rejection of his candidacy for the Cochabamba department's senatorial seat "is an attack on democracy. They don't want Evo to return to Bolivia. It's an instruction of the US".
Bolivia's electoral tribunal said on Thursday that Morales did not fulfil the residency requirements necessary to be considered for senator candidacy for the Cochabamba department in the general elections slated for May 3.
The Bolivian constitution requires that candidates for the Plurinational Legislative Assembly have residency in their jurisdictions for at least two years prior to elections.
Morales has been residing outside of Bolivia since last November, first going to Mexico, then Cuba, and finally to Argentina, where he claimed political asylum on December 12, 2019.
( With inputs from IANS )