Eva Golinger ✔@evagolinger Let’s be clear: Evo Morales resigned as president of Bolivia to avoid further bloodshed, violence and destruction by a right-wing coup backed by powerful interests. Evo stepped down and put his country and people’s well-being and safety before his own desire to remain in power. Earlier on Sunday, Morales announced a snap election, giving in to the mounting pressure over the disputed results of the October 20 vote. The decision followed the release of a preliminary report from the Organization of American States (OAS) mission on the election, which was unable to validate it, saying it is “statistically unlikely” that Morales could have secured the 10-percent margin required to avoid a runoff. They also claim they found signs of “clear manipulation” and irregularities during the election.
Videos from La Paz, the site of many recent anti-Morales protests, show crowds cheering after the resignation announcement.
Ruling Bolivia since 2006, Morales has gained a reputation as a staunch defender of socialism and an ardent critic of US foreign policy. The country’s highest court ruled in 2018 that he could run for a fourth term.
Ben Norton ✔@BenjaminNorton Replying to @BenjaminNorton The corporate media has been spreading a lot of lies and distortions to justify the right-wing US-backed coup in Bolivia. The top court ruled Evo was allowed to run again for president. He won re-election fairly. The opposition is overthrowing Bolivia court allows President Morales to run for fourth term Bolivia has enjoyed relative prosperity and calm under Evo Morales, country’s first indigenous president. a
Ben Norton
The top court ruled Evo was allowed to run again for president.
He won re-election fairly. The opposition is overthrowing
a
After the contested October election, there were rival rallies of Morales’ opponents and supporters throughout the nation. While some anti-government protests have remained peaceful, others led to rioting in major cities, clashes with police, and attacks on pro-government politicians. On Saturday, protesters burned the house of Oruro city governor Víctor Hugo Vásquez, who stood by the president as tensions grew.