Following Reyes Villa's complaint, Marcelo Claure accused the mayor of asking him for money.

The tension between Manfred Reyes Villa and Marcelo Claure reached a new level. The exchange of accusations intensified this Wednesday on the social network X. Reyes Villa published a message in which he told Claure that "the homeland is not for sale". The businessman replied with insults and counteraccusations. He stated that  the Cochabamba mayor asked him for money for his campaign. Claure called the former military officer a "poor guy" and added that "he is worth nothing". He said that Reyes Villa contacted him constantly to ask for funding. He asserted that the candidate will not even reach 10% of the votes. Additionally, the businessman considered that the people of Cochabamba are already realizing his true nature. He ended his message by wishing his followers a good day. The conflict began with a formal complaint. Reyes Villa submitted a letter to the United States Embassy in La Paz. He accused Claure of having proposed a political pact to him. According to the document, he was offered a diplomatic post in exchange for withdrawing his candidacy. The central issue of the alleged agreement was Bolivian lithium. Reyes Villa keeps that he was contacted by Claure on July 17. He claims that the call included a concrete offer. In exchange for withdrawing his presidential bid, he had to support Samuel Doria Medina. The APB-Súmate candidate claims that he was also promised a partnership in businesses related to lithium. For him, that constitutes foreign interference. In his letter to U.S. diplomacy, Reyes Villa cites U.S. laws. He points out that Claure, as a citizen of that country, can't interfere without authorization. He describes the embassy offer as "usurpation of functions." He also warns about a possible "transnational bribe". He requests that the case be brought to the Department of Justice.

Criticism and support

Claure seeks to hide private interests regarding lithium"the homeland is not for sale"Claure acts out of motivations unrelated to Bolivia

Complaints and attacks in the final stretch of the campaign

Some analysts see in this dispute a struggle for prominenceLithium, as a strategic resource, should be treated seriouslyWithout a strong electoral authority, any accusation gains ground