Tens of thousands of jubilant followers in Bolivia have welcomed Evo Morales back to the coca-growing region from which he fled into exile exactly a year ago.

After he went into exile in Mexico last November following disputed presidential elections, many thought his political life stood at the precipice.

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales, a native son of the country’s long-repressed Indigenous community, was forced into exile last November following a turbulent presidential election, TRT reported. 

In January, Jeanine Anez, the leader of the right-wing interim government, urged Bolivians not to allow Morales and his socialist party to make a comeback, describing them as “the savages”.

But much to the dismay of Anez, who is infamous for her anti-Indigenous statements, and the white establishment, Morales' protege, Luis Arce, was elected to the presidency in a landslide victory last month. 

With the shifting political winds, Morales returned to his home country from exile in jubilant fashion.

“The Bolivian right and the global right should know: the savages are back in government,” Morales said while addressing tens of thousands of his supporters on Wednesday. 

“We’re in power now,” said the former union leader, who began his career as a simple coca farmer, rising to the top echelons of power in 2006. Until October 2019, he had won back-to-back elections, boasting the longest election winning streak across South America. 

Last year after the October presidential elections, Morales claimed victory again while his opponents and a prominent US-based election monitoring group alleged fraud in the first run-off of the polls. 

Morales and his supporters deny any wrongdoing in the elections.