Arce's opponents criticised him as a puppet of Morales, an accusation which he and his party pushed back against. One MAS leader, David Apaza, tried to distance Arce's campaign from the controversial ex-president stating that “Categorically, Evo will not interfere in the government of brother Luis Arce.”[12] Arce himself would state that Morales “Will not have any role in our government.”[13]