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Bolivia's Morales Urges Opposition to 'Pacify the Country'

VOA News

   Bolivia's Evo Morales called on the opposition to "pacify the country"
   Monday as the political crisis deepens.

   Morales resigned over the weekend after weeks of protests followed the
   October election which granted him a fourth term amid many
   "irregularities."

   According to the Bolivian constitution, the vice president is next in
   line to take power when the president steps down. The head of the
   country's Senate is third in line, but both of them, as well as a
   number of other top ministers, resigned shortly after Morales, leaving
   a power vacuum in the South American country awaiting rescheduled
   elections.

   Opposition leader Jeanine Anez said Sunday she would assume the interim
   presidency of Bolivia, but Congress must first be convened to vote her
   into power.

   Morales sent a string of tweets lashing out at his opponents Monday,
   saying they had a "responsibility to pacify the country and guarantee
   the political stability and peaceful coexistence of our people."

     Mesa y Camacho, discriminadores y conspiradores, pasarán a la
     historia como racistas y golpistas. Que asuman su responsabilidad de
     pacificar al paÃs y garanticen la estabilidad polÃtica y convivencia
     pacÃfica de nuestro pueblo. El mundo y bolivianos patriotas repudian
     el golpe
     -- Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) [1]November 11, 2019

   Morales called his key opponents, Carlos Mesa and Luis Fernando
   Camacho, "discriminators and conspirators," and also wrote that
   "violent groups" had attacked his home.

   Mexico has described the ouster of Morales as a military coup, and said
   Monday that it would offer Morales political asylum. Some of his
   ministers and senior officials who stepped down over the weekend are
   currently seeking refuge in the Mexican ambassador's residence.

   Latin America's longest-serving leader went into the election needing a
   10 percentage-point lead to avoid a runoff and secure his fourth term
   in office in the October elections.

   Partial results released after the election had predicted Morales would
   face a December runoff election against his main rival, former
   President Carlos Mesa.

   Less than 24 hours later, the electoral commission released new numbers
   that showed with 95% of votes counted, Morales was just a 0.7
   percentage point short of the 10 percentage-point mark.

   The announcement prompted opposition complaints of fraud, and triggered
   violent protests in several cities.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/evoespueblo/status/1193843819575427073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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