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Agence France-Presse

Bolivia’s Evo Morales was en route to exile in Mexico on Tuesday, leaving behind a country in turmoil after his abrupt resignation as president.
As the nation suddenly found itself without a leader, the military agreed to help police take back streets lost to violence from disgruntled supporters of Bolivia’s first indigenous president.
The senator set to succeed Morales as interim president, Jeanine Anez, pledged to call fresh elections to end the political crisis.
Bolivia appeared increasingly rudderless after dozens of officials and ministers resigned along with Morales, some seeking refuge in foreign embassies.

On Monday evening, Morales said that he was leaving the country for Mexico.
“Sisters and brothers, I leave for Mexico,” Morales tweeted, adding that he is grateful to Mexico for granting him asylum.
“It hurts to leave the country for political reasons, but I will always be watching,” Morales added. “Soon I will return with more strength and energy.”
His plane landed in Paraguay’s capital Asuncion to refuel early on Tuesday, that country’s interior minister Euclides Acevedo told reporters.
Morales announced his resignation and new elections on Sunday after weeks of protests and rioting against alleged fraud in the October 20 elections, in which the leftist president took an outright victory against his centre-right challenger, Carlos Mesa.
Mesa said Morales was brought down by a popular uprising, not the military, countering Morales’ claim he was the victim of a coup.
In a statement to the press earlier, Ebrard said Mexico had decided to grant Morales asylum “for humanitarian reasons”.
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He spoke of the “urgent situation” Morales faced in Bolivia, “where his life and integrity are at risk”.
Morales claimed on Twitter late that two of his homes had been attacked by “vandalism groups”.
The Mexican government had already informed the Bolivian foreign ministry of its decision, he added.
The departure of the Bolivian president after over 13 years at the helm, coupled with a string of high-profile political resignations, has plunged the Andean country into uncertainty.
About 20 senior officials resigned within 48 hours, including cabinet ministers, the head of the electoral tribunal, governors and mayors, according to local media.
Government Minister Carlos Romero took refuge in the Argentinian embassy, daily El Deber and Todo Noticias reported.




Senate Vice-President Jeanine Anez said she was willing to become president if protesters supported her bid. She said she would call fresh elections to end the political crisis.
Anez, who is a member of the opposition, tearfully accused Morales of having plunged Bolivia into chaos.
Mesa’s Comunidad Ciudadana (CC) alliance called on parliament to replace the members of the electoral arm of the government and to set a date for new elections in which, it said, Morales could not participate.
Parliament was expected to announce who would become caretaker president after the resignations of Morales’ deputy Alvaro Garcia Linera and the presidents of the Senate and of the Chamber of Deputies, who had been in line to take power.
US President Donald Trump called the Bolivian president’s resignation a significant moment for democracy in the Western Hemisphere.
Bolivia’s unrest grows as police join protests against President Evo Morales’ claimed re-election
“After nearly 14 years and his recent attempt to override the Bolivian constitution and the will of the people, Morales’s departure preserves democracy and paves the way for the Bolivian people to have their voices heard,” Trump said in a statement.
A US State Department official had earlier urged the country to follow its constitution in finding a legitimate successor to Morales and called on people to refrain from violence.
The general secretariat of the Organisation of American States (OAS), which had questioned the outcome of the October 20 elections, urged parliament to meet urgently “to guarantee institutional functioning and … a new electoral process”.

Explosions were heard in the south of La Paz on Monday as the power vacuum left by Morales’ departure stoked protests. Police fired tear gas to disperse his opponents and supporters, who were about to fight with sticks and stones, broadcaster Todo Noticias reported.
Opponents erected barricades, saying they wanted to protect people from the supporters, whom they accused of engaging in looting and lighting fires overnight.
At least 20 people were injured in violent clashes at the government seat of La Paz and the sister city of El Alto, the newspaper La Razon reported
The armed forces vowed to protect public installations and restore order in cooperation with police.
“Soldiers will conduct operations with the police to prevent bloodshed and bereavement,” Armed Forces Commander Williams Kaliman said.
He vowed to use “appropriate force” against groups of vandals who terrorise the people.

Bolivia flourished under Morales, who held office since 2006, with the exploration of gas and lithium giving the previously impoverished South American country annual growth rates at times of more than 6 per cent.
But he came under growing criticism over what was perceived as his authoritarian behaviour and attempts to cling onto power.
Additional reporting by Deutsche Presse-Agentur


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Mexico

Mexico grants asylum to Bolivia’s ex-leader Evo Morales whose ‘life was at risk’

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales holds a Mexican flag on board a Mexican government aircraft. Photo: Twitter

This screen grab of a tweet posted on the account of Bolivia's former President Evo Morales on Monday, Nov. 11, 2019, shows him lying on the floor at an undisclosed location and a text that reads in Spanish "This was my first night after leaving the presidency forced by a coup by Mesa and Camacho with the help of the police. I remembered my times as leader. I'm grateful to my brothers from the of Cochabamba tropic's federations for providing us with security and care." Morales resigned to the presidency on Nov 10, under mounting pressure from the military and the public after a disputed re-election victory that triggered weeks of fraud allegations and deadly protests. (AP Photo)

epa07989683 Soldiers leave their base to patrol the streets, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, 11 November 2019. Bolivian military and police went out to patrol the streets in various Bolivian cities after the resignation of former Bolivian President Evo Morales. The elections on 20 October resulted in the re-election of Morales, and irregularities in the vote counting procedure sparked protests across the country. EPA-EFE/JUAN CARLOS TORREJON

A broken portrait of former Bolivia president Evo Morales on the floor of his private home in Cochabamba, Bolivia, after hooded opponents broke into the residence. Photo; AP

Bolivians celebrate after leader Evo Morales heeds military’s call to resign, leaving presidency in limbo

A broken portrait of former Bolivia's President Evo Morales, who resigned on Sunday. Photo: AP

General Vladimir Yuri Calderon informs in a press conference that the General Attorney's Office of Bolivia has opened an investigation into the seven members of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal after an OAS audit found serious irregularities that put in question the integrity of the recent vote, at the Police headquarters in La Paz on November 10, 2019. - opposition leaders had accused the Supreme Electoral Tribunal of rigging the count in the October 20 elections in favour of President Evo Morales. The Bolivian leader announced Sunday he was calling fresh elections after the OAS audit. (Photo by Aizar RALDES / AFP)

A demonstrator shouts during a protest against Bolivia's President Evo Morales in La Paz, Bolivia, November 10, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Bolivia's President Evo Morales, center, speaks during a press conference at the military base in El Alto, Bolivia, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019. Hours later Morales announced his resignation under mounting pressure from the military and the public after his re-election victory triggered weeks of fraud allegations and deadly protests. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Bolivia’s unrest grows as police join protests against President Evo Morales’ claimed re-election

Police officers wave a national flag while standing on the roof of their headquarters in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Photo: Reuters

Bolivia's President Evo Morales is seen during a meeting with miners leaders at the presidential palace in La Paz, Bolivia, November 7, 2019. REUTERS/Manuel Claure NO RESALES NO ARCHIVES

Opposition supporters shout slogans next to Bolivian police officers joining a rebelion launched earlier by other units in the central city of Cochambamba, at a police station in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on November 8, 2019. - Police in three Bolivian cities said Friday they were joining anti-government protests in the first sign security forces are heeding opposition calls to withdraw support from President Evo Morales. (Photo by DANIEL WALKER / AFP)

Demonstrators take part in a protest against President Evo Morales in La Paz, Bolivia, November 8, 2019. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

Luis Fernando Camacho, a Santa Cruz civic leader and major opposition figure, attends a rally in La Paz, Bolivia, November 7 2019.. REUTERS/David Mercado

Opposition supporters hold makeshift shields during a protest against Bolivia's President Evo Morales in La Paz, on November 8, 2019. - Police in three Bolivian cities said Friday they were joining anti-government protests in the first sign security forces are heeding opposition calls to withdraw support from President Evo Morales. (Photo by AIZAR RALDES / AFP)

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Evo Morales thanked Mexico for protecting him and vowed to come back to his country ‘stronger and more energetic’
The departure of Morales followed weeks of violent protests over allegations of fraud in the October 20 election



The dramatic events came a day after Evo Morales’s shock resignation after he lost the backing of the military following three weeks of street protests over his disputed re-election for an unconstitutional fourth term.


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