Leaked recordings allegedly detail a $600,000-plus operation to capture Evo Morales, but their authenticity remains unverified.

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Bolivian lawmakers from several political parties are demanding an impartial investigation into audio recordings allegedly detailing a plan to abduct former President Evo Morales, including the procurement of surveillance equipment, contacts with foreign actors and a budget of up to 8 million bolivianos ($685,000).

RELATED: Judge Rules There Is No Evidence Against Evo Morales in Child Abuse Case

The recordings, attributed to former consultant Fernando Cerimedo, reportedly outline an operation targeting Morales in the Chapare region, his political stronghold. Their authenticity has not been officially verified by forensic authorities.

The allegations drew international attention after digital journalist Julián Macías Tovar published information about the recordings on X. According to the material circulated, Cerimedo allegedly traveled to the United States and Israel to arrange helicopters and specialized tracking equipment for an operation in the Chapare.

A voice attributed to Cerimedo can reportedly be heard discussing logistics with Public Works Minister Mauricio Zamora, including the acquisition of drones and specialized equipment.

The operation’s estimated cost was between 7 million and 8 million bolivianos, equivalent to approximately $600,000 to $685,000. In the recordings, the speaker allegedly offers to cover the entire cost informally and in US dollars. The audio also refers to a previous attempt in which those involved allegedly reached the second security perimeter around Morales, with support from purported foreign agents.

The allegations have prompted calls for accountability from across Bolivia’s political spectrum. Edgar Zegarra, a lawmaker from the Libre party, described the revelations as extremely serious and called for a transparent, balanced investigation free from political bias to establish responsibility.

Morales has also criticized what he described as the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s inaction, urging authorities to investigate the recordings. In a post on X, he asked: “What is new prosecutor José Armando Urioste waiting for to investigate Cerimedo’s new audios?”

Lawmakers want the investigation to establish whether the recordings are authentic, identify the source of the alleged operation’s funding and determine whether state resources or institutions were improperly used. They have also raised concerns about possible foreign interference.

Zamora has categorically denied the recordings’ authenticity, claiming they were manipulated and edited. However, in statements reported by the media outlet Fama, Poder y Ganas, he acknowledged having had previous telephone contact with Cerimedo.

The recordings’ origin and authenticity remain unverified by forensic authorities. The allegations have nevertheless intensified scrutiny of the security of Bolivia’s leading political figures and the country’s institutions amid deep political polarization.

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Senator Esmeralda Hernández says Colombia’s two legislative chambers approved different versions of a budget provision without reconciling them before the deadline.

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A dispute over conflicting versions of a provision in Colombia’s 2027 national budget has raised questions about the bill’s legislative validity. Senator Esmeralda Hernández says the Senate and House of Representatives approved different versions of Article 65 but failed to reconcile them before the October 20 deadline.

RELATED: Colombia’s Congress Approves 2027 Budget Over Opposition Objections

The provision concerns the stabilization of funds against fluctuations in international oil prices and gasoline prices. The budget, approved at 634.9 trillion pesos, is at the center of a disagreement over whether the legislative process complied with the required procedure.

Hernández said she identified the discrepancy alongside Lina García Sierra, Bogotá’s regional ombudswoman. They presented their findings in an interview with journalist Daniel Coronell on his program El Reporte Coronell.

According to Hernández, the Senate approved the original version of Article 65, while the House adopted a different text that included a proposal by Senator Juan Fernando Caicedo of the Democratic Center party and two additional paragraphs.

¡Tumbamos el Presupuesto de Abelardo!

Tras una revisión rigurosa junto a @LinaGarciaSi, encontramos que Cámara y Senado aprobaron textos diferentes, sin la conciliación obligatoria. Por el afán de pupitrearlo terminaron haciéndolo mal, a medianoche y de espaldas al país.

¡A la… pic.twitter.com/nPpWeItzII

— Esmeralda Hernández (@EsmeHernandezSi) October 21, 2026

Text Reads: We’ve taken down Abelardo’s Budget! After a rigorous review alongside@LinaGarciaSi, we found that the House and Senate approved different texts, without the mandatory reconciliation. In their rush to ram it through, they ended up doing it wrong, at midnight and behind the country’s back. We confront mediocrity and lies with rigor and arguments!

Caicedo withdrew his proposal during a Senate plenary session, leaving it on record rather than seeking its approval. “As the sole author of the proposal, I withdraw it and leave it on record,” he said.

“In the Senate, they approve the original text, while the House approves the text with Caicedo’s proposal, signed by a House representative, resulting in a different text,” Hernández told Coronell.

The Senate’s General Secretariat confirmed on October 20 that Article 65 had been approved without proposals or amendments. In a statement, Secretary-General Diego Alejandro González González said he had instructed the chamber’s reporting office to publish the official link to all proposals approved by the plenary, noting that none concerned Article 65.

#Colombia | Congress approved a US$201 billion budget for 2027 amid opposition criticism of cuts to education, social programs, and peace institutions.
The Historic Pact coalition announced legal challenges over reduced funding for the Special Jurisdiction for Peace.#Colombia… pic.twitter.com/Dq6v6E2Ksh

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 20, 2026

The House maintained during the debate that both chambers had approved identical texts. John Édgar Pérez, a Cambio Radical representative and coordinating rapporteur for the bill, argued that reconciliation was unnecessary and proposed that the House adopt the version approved by the Senate.

The House passed the budget in the early hours of October 20, with 96 votes in favor and one against.

Hernández argues that the differences required a reconciliation committee to produce a unified text and submit it to the appropriate legislative procedure. She maintains that the House vote came too late to complete that process before the legal deadline.

García warned that the failure to reconcile the texts could jeopardize the legality of the entire budget. She said she would file a constitutional challenge if the government enacted the legislation despite the alleged irregularity. Her statements reflect her legal assessment; no judicial ruling on the budget’s validity was cited.

Carlos Meisel, the Senate’s coordinating rapporteur for the bill, disputed the argument that a potential change introduced during the House proceedings would invalidate the entire process.

Meisel said the version approved during the first debate by the joint economic committees could serve as the basis for issuing the budget by decree. He added that this version accounted for 95% of the content subsequently approved by the Senate and had been developed through agreements with the national government.

El Presupuesto fue aprobado ayer en la plenaria del Senado de la República sin ningún error ni vicio.
Lo que aparentemente ocurrió después en la Cámara de Representantes (de ser cierto), no vicia todo el proceso desde el inicio.
Queda para decreto el texto que se aprobó en primer…

— Carlos Meisel (@carlosmeiselv) October 21, 2026

Text Reads: The Budget was approved yesterday in the plenary session of the Senate of the Republic without any errors or flaws. What apparently happened afterward in the House of Representatives (if true) does not taint the entire process from the beginning. The text approved in the first debate in the economic committees remains for decree. So please, let’s not exaggerate the uncertainty, because in any case, there is a budget and it is the one from the first debate. This one also came from a collective construction with the government. (And among other things, it was 95% of what was voted on yesterday) At this moment, this country does not benefit from us adding more nerves, and that’s why we work so arduously and committedly on a calm construction and agreements.

The dispute centers on whether the two chambers approved different versions of Article 65 and what consequences that discrepancy could have for the 2027 budget. Hernández argues that the lack of reconciliation left the legislative process incomplete, while Meisel maintains that a potential irregularity at a later stage would not invalidate the preceding steps.

Students and teachers in Athens and Thessaloniki demand affordable housing, higher wages and increased funding for public education.

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Students and teachers in Greece have mobilized in Athens and Thessaloniki to demand affordable housing, higher wages and greater investment in public education, joining a wave of youth-led protests over rising living costs and housing insecurity across Europe.

RELATED: Meloni Announces Decree Targeting Juvenile Gangs and Violent Street Demonstrations

Tents have been erected in Athens’ Syntagma Square and in Thessaloniki as demonstrators call for fair rents, more university housing and increased funding for public education.

Authorities deployed more than 3,000 police officers in Athens to monitor a demonstration scheduled for Wednesday, organized by students and teachers. The protests come amid similar mobilizations in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Albania, where young people are challenging housing costs that they say make it increasingly difficult to combine work or study with securing a home.

Students pitch tents near Greek parliament over rising costs

📍 Students set up tents in Athens’ Syntagma Square, near the Greek parliament

➡️ The protest highlights rising living costs and soaring rents in Greece https://t.co/oWWMU3xUax pic.twitter.com/N8YzeW9lZa

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) October 20, 2026

The Greek primary school teachers’ union, DOE, called a 24-hour strike to demand a 20% pay rise, housing assistance for teachers assigned to work in other cities and improvements to school facilities.

Around 20 student associations in Athens joined the mobilization, planning to march alongside teachers. Their demands include decent housing for all university students, particularly those from low-income families who move to other cities to pursue their studies, higher student allowances and more places in public university residences.

Students are also calling for lower electricity and heating fuel costs, highlighting the pressure of energy expenses alongside the cost of accommodation.

The demonstrations reflect broader grievances among young Europeans over housing affordability. Protesters across several countries have pointed to property speculation, tourism-driven pressures on housing and austerity policies imposed by the European Union as factors affecting their ability to secure a home.

Athens Mayor Haris Dukas, a social democrat, expressed support for students and teachers while making clear his opposition to violent protests.

The demonstrations add Greece to a broader wave of Generation Z mobilizations across Europe over housing costs, economic pressures and access to public services, with students and educators pressing for changes to living and working conditions.