RIGHT-WING opponents of Bolivian President Evo Morales took to the streets on Thursday to challenge a Supreme Electoral Court decision authorising him to stand for a fourth term of office.

They had called for a general strike, yet banks and other businesses remained open.

In the capital La Paz, as well as Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, right-wing protesters blocked streets and disrupted public transport, chanting and waving banners.

Bolivia’s Catholic Church voiced support for the protesters, claiming that the court decision “called into doubt the very basis of democracy, leaving Bolivians with an uncertain future.”

La Paz Mayor Luis Revilla, who opposes President Morales, said: “What remains now is to resist this decision, to turn to the streets in protest, to prevent this decision from being realised.”

Former president Carlos Mesa, who will face Mr Morales in next year’s election, called for “a democratic battle” against the court’s ruling.