Bolivia's former leader Evo Morales made a dramatic homecoming on Monday, greeted by crowds of cheering supporters as he crossed the border from Argentina where he had been living in exile since late last year.

Morales, seen off by Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, who hugged him goodbye, made his return after his socialist MAS party swept back into power a year after he resigned amid violent protests and fled the country.

The leftist ex-president, an indigenous former coca farmer who led Bolivia for nearly 14 years, departed under a cloud in November 2019 after he ran for an unprecedented fourth term in an election marred by allegations of fraud.

In October, after an 11-month caretaker government, his former economy minister Luis Arce won a landslide election, paving the way for Morales to return home. His arrival in Bolivia adds spice to an already tense political environment as the new socialist-controlled congress seeks to flex its muscles amid vehement opposition protests.