Luis Fernando Camacho, the suspended governor of Santa Cruz and a prominent figure in Bolivia's right-wing opposition, was released on August 29 after nearly three years in preventive detention, following judicial rulings that overturned precautionary measures in several cases, a decision confirmed by the Supreme Court of Justice.

The 46-year-old lawyer and businessman was arrested in December 2022 on charges stemming from the 2019 crisis that led to the resignation of former president Evo Morales. Morales stepped down under pressure from the armed forces following disputed elections that triggered widespread protests and a nationwide strike. While President Luis Arce's leftist government maintains the events constituted a coup d'état, opposition leaders contend they resulted from electoral fraud and civil mobilisation, according to AFP.

The Supreme Court, led by Rómer Saucedo, had instructed lower courts in late August to review preventive detention periods for Camacho, former interim president Jeanine Áñez, and ex-civic leader Marco Antonio Pumari. The review resulted in the suspension of detention measures against Camacho in four cases, including the high-profile "Golpe de Estado I" case, a procurement case known as "carro bombero", and charges related to a 36-day strike in 2022, Infobae reported. Judges ruled that Camacho could mount his defence while free, though he faces restrictions on international travel.

According to AFP, Camacho returned immediately to Santa Cruz, where he resumed his gubernatorial duties, replacing deputy Mario Aguilera who had served during his absence. His arrival drew thousands of supporters bearing the green-and-white flags of Santa Cruz, underscoring the city's status as an opposition stronghold.

In his first public remarks, Camacho described his detention as "an honour" in the struggle for democracy. He called for Áñez's release, urging her to maintain resolve and characterising the ongoing prosecutions as political persecution, as reported by Infobae. Pumari was released the same day with "pure and simple freedom" in one case but remains under house arrest in another.

The government has appealed against the rulings. Justice minister Jessica Saravia argued the decisions undermine accountability for the 2019 violence, which left at least 37 dead and more than 200 injured, according to La República.

The releases come as Bolivia's political landscape underwent a seismic shift in the August 17 general election. The ruling Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party's candidate, Eduardo del Castillo, secured just 3.17% of the vote — a crushing defeat for the party that has dominated Bolivian politics for nearly two decades.

The results forced a presidential runoff between centrist Rodrigo Paz Pereira and right-wing former president Jorge Quiroga on October 19. The MAS party, now splintered into different factions, will be reduced from 75 seats to just one in the lower house of Congress and will have no representation in the Senate, signalling the end of the leftist hegemony established by Morales in 2006 as Bolivia grapples with its worst economic crisis in a generation.