“Find a way to calm the situation”: Bolivian President Evo Morales resigned

Bolivian President Evo Morales announced his resignation. The politician’s statement was broadcast on social networks.

“Now my duty as president is to find a way to calm the situation,” TASS reports Morales.

As the politician noted, he took such a step so that "civil servants are not subjected to attacks and threats." He called the current situation a coup d'etat.

“Brothers and sisters, I want to tell you that our struggle does not end, we will continue to fight for equality and peace,” the politician said. He also emphasized that he hoped for an end to the riots already tonight (November 10), and said that he did not intend to leave the country, as he had “no reason to flee.”

Following the head of state, Vice President Alvaro García Línera also resigned, along with Senate Speaker Ariadne Salvierra. The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Viktor Borda left his post a few hours before.

International reaction

Cuban authorities have already responded to the news of the resignation of Morales. The Foreign Ministry said that they are considering what is happening in Bolivia as a coup.

“The Cuban Foreign Ministry strongly condemns the coup d'etat in Bolivia and expresses solidarity with his brother, President Evo Morales, the hero and symbol of the struggle of the indigenous peoples of our America. We are calling for global mobilization for the struggle for the life and freedom of Evo, ”TASS quoted the head of the Cuban department, Bruno Rodriguez Parilla, on Twitter.

A similar point of view is shared by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

“We strongly condemn the coup against the fraternal president Evo Morales,” the Venezuelan leader said on Twitter.

Condenamos categóricamente el golpe de Estado consumado contra el hermano presidente @evoespueblo. Los movimientos sociales y políticos del mundo nos declaramos en movilización para exigir la preservación de la vida de los pueblos originarios bolivianos víctimas del racismo. pic.twitter.com/c6JGrNBFGo

Meanwhile, as CNN reports, the US State Department said it was "watching the fast-paced events in Bolivia and the resignations of President Evo Morales and Vice President Garcia Linera."

In turn, Colombia insists on convening an emergency meeting of the Organization of American States.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Government of Colombia, is closely following the latest political events in Bolivia. Colombia is asking the OAS general secretariat to urgently convene a session of the Permanent Council in order to find solutions to the difficult institutional situation in which Bolivia is located, ”TASS quoted the agency as saying.

• Protests against Evo Morales
• Reuters
• © CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS

Military call

Recall that mass protests and riots in the cities of Bolivia began after the presidential election, in which Evo Morales won the first round. The opposition demanded a recount, and the demonstrators supported Carlos Mesa - the main rival of Morales in the presidential race. He has already managed to react to the resignation of the head of state, calling it the "end of tyranny."

It is also worth noting that shortly before Morales's statement, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Latin American State, Williams Kaliman, urged the Bolivian leader to resign.

“We urge the president to abandon the presidential mandate, which will bring peace and stability for the good of Bolivia,” RIA Novosti quoted Kaliman as saying.

He also added that such a need was caused by the escalation of the conflict, which threatens the security of the country's population.

At the same time, on Saturday, the Bolivian News Agency reported that Kaliman ruled out the participation of the army in the suppression of protests.

“We will never oppose the people we are indebted to, and will always ensure peace and good neighborliness among the brothers, as well as the development of our Motherland,” said the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Bolivia.

However, it is worth noting that, according to statements by the Minister of Defense of the State, Javier Savalet, the Morales government did not intend to involve the military in maintaining order in cities where mass protests took place.

Meanwhile, we note that Morales resigned several hours after he announced the holding of new elections.

“I decided, firstly, to completely update the composition of the Supreme Election Court, ... secondly, to appoint new general elections, through which people can democratically elect new politicians,” the RIA Novosti politician quotes.

Both the opposition, which did not recognize the results of the vote, and some external players, in particular the USA, Argentina, Brazil and Columbia, all of them are members of the Organization of American States, insisted on holding new elections. They insisted on checking the election results by OAS experts.

A group of observers from the organization, according to the results of the audit, stated that they found a number of violations, and also called it “statistically unlikely” that Morales could get enough votes to win in the first round. After that, the OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro expressed the opinion that it is necessary to cancel the voting results.

“In connection with the seriousness of the charges and the analysis of the election process that the group of auditors passed to me, we consider it necessary to state that the first round of elections held on October 20 should be canceled and the election process should begin again,” RIA Novosti quotes Almagro.