A new scandal could jeopardize Evo Morales' bid for a fourth term as Bolivia's president.

A Bolivian journalist, Carlos Valverde, claimed that the 56-year-old politician had a child with a 29-year-old woman named Gabriela Zapata in 2007, a year after he became president.

According to Valverde, Morales' relationship with Zapata wouldn't be deemed scandalous if not for the fact that she benefited from her connection with the president. Zapata is currently a senior executive at the China CAMC Engineering Company, which Bolivia has awarded contracts worth over $500 million. Pictures of her extravagant house also popped up online.

Morales, who is single and keeps details about his personal life private, admitted on Feb. 5 that he and Zapata started dating in 2005 and had a child in 2007. The child, however, died soon after birth.

However, a Bolivian news agency published a picture last year showing a smiling Morales and Zapata seemingly locked in an embrace at a carnival. Morales admitted that the photo was legitimate, but he gave an explanation for it.

"I remember, there was a woman with a familiar face who approached me to take a photo during carnival, that's true," he said. "It was a familiar face and when the photo emerged, ah!, I think that's Gabriela."

This is not the first time that Morales, the country's first indigenous president, has faced a scandal. Last month, there were rumors claiming that he spends $200 on haircuts.

Morales' latest scandal involving Zapata will significantly affect his reelection bid. Bolivians will vote in a referendum on Sunday to decide on a constitutional change that would permit Morales to seek a new presidential term in 2019. Supporters see Morales as a transformative leader who helped Bolivia's long-disregarded indigenous community. He is also credited with decreasing poverty and narrowing the nation's inequality gap.

Critics, however, accuse him of being authoritarian, forcing his detractors into exile and using the government's funds to control opponents and pay off those who are loyal to him.

Morales stressed that the corruption accusations aren't true and are a desperate ruse backed by the right political party, which he claims is led by the United States. On Monday, he said that he is considering dismissing Peter Brennan, the U.S. top diplomat in La Paz, for allegedly providing the inflammatory information to Valverde. The American embassy and Valverde have both called Morales' accusation as false.

Some Bolivians said that they can dismiss the corruption allegations against Morales because all politicians are corrupt, but, at least, Morales is a champion of the poor. Others, however, said that they wouldn't support his next presidential bid because of his dishonesty in the scandals.