The Acting President of Bolivia, Jeanine Añez, in La Paz on August 6, 2020. -

Juan Karita / AP / SIPA

Less than a month before the general elections in Bolivia, a political crisis is underway in this Andean country.

The ministers of Economy, Labor and Productive Development announced their resignation from the interim government on Monday.

A public company at the heart of differences

The Minister of the Economy, Oscar Ortiz, said he was forced to resign.

"They have decided to appoint another person," in this case the former Minister of Planning Branko Marinkovic, he said, underlining differences with the government of interim president Jeanine Añez.

The Minister of Labor, Oscar Mercado, for his part announced his resignation on Twitter: "With the satisfaction of a duty accomplished, I submitted my resignation".

Finally, the Minister of Productive Development, Abel Martinez, did the same, without the name of his replacement being known to date.

According to Oscar Ortiz, the disagreement revolves around a government decision to return shares in the public electricity company Elfec to a former private shareholder, the Cooperativa de Teléfonos de Cochabamba.

The company was nationalized by former left-wing president Evo Morales in May 2010. Interior Minister Arturo Murillo himself admitted that “indeed, the Elfec issue (had) generated many friction ”within government.

Evo Morales, for his part, ruled that the restitution of Elfec's shares "is not only unconstitutional, but constitutes a serious attack on the chain of production and distribution of electricity".

No es solo una crisis de gabinete, es una crisis generalizada.

Cientos of miles of personas caen en la pobreza, are privatized nuestras empresas y la corruption no cesa.



Solo con @LuchoXBolivia saldremos adelante. # VamosASalirAdelante pic.twitter.com/XTnVAkt8nY

- Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) September 28, 2020

General elections are scheduled for October 18.

Some 7.3 million Bolivians are called to the polls to elect the president, the vice-president and to renew the entire Parliament: 130 deputies and 36 senators.

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  • Evo Morales

  • Bolivia

  • Political crisis

  • Resignation

  • World