OREANDA-NEWS. The Bolivian government’s plans to develop the lithium industry have become one of the causes of the political crisis in the country. This opinion was expressed by the ex-president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, in an interview with the Russian television channel, which was published on Thursday.

“When we completed the development plan for lithium production, Bolivia could begin to set lithium prices for the whole world”, he said. Answering the question of the host, whether this affected the emergence of the political crisis, Morales answered in the affirmative. "Now I understand that some industrialized countries do not want competition", he added.

According to Morales, the development plan for the industry suggested that by 2025, 41 plants would start operating in the country, of which “14 would deal exclusively with lithium”. Earlier, experts noted that the origins of the current crisis should be sought in the events of 2016. Then, on the initiative of Morales himself in Bolivia, a referendum was organized on the possibility of repeated re-election to the post of head of state, which was previously prohibited by the constitution.