Bolivia’s President Morales forced out
Evo Morales has resigned after nearly 14 years in power, amid turmoil following his disputed re-election last month.
The head of the army had called on him to go after protests over his election win.
Auditors found irregularities with the poll but Morales said he had been the victim of a coup.
He said he was leaving to help protect families of political allies, after their homes were burned down.
In a televised address, Morales urged protesters to “stop attacking the brothers and sisters, stop burning and attacking”.
The biggest criticism of Morales was his lack of respect for Bolivia’s democracy. He was also accused of overstaying his welcome and refusing to step down.
Vice-President Alvaro García and Senate President Adriana Salvatierra also resigned.
Protesters took to the streets to celebrate, chanting “yes we could” and setting off fire crackers.
Bolivia has been rattled by weeks of anti-government protests, following the reports of election fraud.
Tensions first flared on the night of the presidential election after the results count was inexplicably stopped for 24 hours. The final result gave Morales slightly more than the 10-percentage-point lead he needed to win outright in the first round of the race.
At least three people died during clashes that followed. Some uniformed police officers also joined the protesters.
On Sunday, the Organization of American States, which monitored the elections, said it had found evidence of wide-scale data manipulation, and could not certify the result of the previous polls.
Pressure continued to build on Morales during the day, as several of his political allies resigned, some citing fears for the safety of their families.
The army chief, General Williams Kaliman, urged Morales to resign “to allow for pacification and the maintaining of stability”.
The military also said it would conduct operations to “neutralise” any armed groups that attacked the protesters.
Opposition leader Carlos Mesa—who came second in last month’s poll—thanked protesters for “the heroism of peaceful resistance.”chanted “yes we could” and “Bolivia” as they celebrated the resignation
However, the Cuban and Venezuelan leaders—who had previously voiced their support for Morales – condemned the events as a “coup”.—BBC
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