Bolivia: dead in clashes with security and dramatic statements by Morales

Five supporters of former Bolivian President Evo Morales were killed in clashes with police and army near Cochabamba (center), while Morales announced that new elections could be held in his country without him, removing an obstacle to choosing a new leader. Disagreements to unrest in the country.

The Bolivian authorities did not confirm that anyone had been killed in the violence, only mentioning hundreds of arrests, while local media reported that there were at least eight wounded.

However, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights confirmed the five deaths, also speaking of an unspecified number of casualties, and condemned in a statement the excessive force of police and military, especially firearms, to quell the protests.

The incidents erupted in the suburb of Cochabamba on Friday, where thousands of coca farmers clashed with police throughout the day. Protesters were trying to reach the city center, 18 km (12 miles), to protest against the new government of interim president Janine Agnès, but were blocked by police and prevented from crossing a bridge.

While Agnès on Thursday ruled out Morales' candidacy in the new presidential election, thousands of people flocked to the government headquarters in La Paz to confirm their position that Morales's ouster was a coup rather than a resignation.

Why fear
For his part, Morales said on Friday that it is possible to hold new elections in his country without him. "For the sake of democracy, if they don't want to participate, I have no problem not running in the new elections," he said in an interview in Mexico City. "I just wonder why all this fear of Evo."

Bolivia's interim government and parliamentarians from Morales's party appeared to have reached an agreement to hold new presidential elections after the election, widely seen as fraudulent, led to its fall.

Bolivia's interim president said Morales himself would not be welcomed as a candidate.

The fall of Latin America's longest-serving presidents has added to the turmoil in the region, such as in Ecuador and Chile.

In a conciliatory tone, Morales, who has been popular for years, welcomed talks with his opponents, saying they were necessary to ensure a government by January, within the time frame set by the constitution.

As Bolivia's first indigenous president, Morales, 60, oversaw economic growth in one of the region's poorest countries during his nearly 14 years in power, reduced poverty and gave voice to people who have suffered racism and discrimination for centuries.

But he resented many in Bolivia by insisting on seeking a fourth term and resigned under pressure on Sunday after an October 20 election in which he won a landslide but was widely smeared of accusations of manipulation.

After the Organization of American States (OAS) reported serious irregularities in the vote, the military urged him to resign. Morales accepted asylum in Mexico and left the country on a Mexican plane. He said he had resigned to prevent violence.

Morales revealed that the US government also offered him a plane. "The United States has summoned the foreign minister (Bolivia) to offer him a plane to take us anywhere we want. I am sure this place was Guantanamo."