Protests arose in Bolivia after former president Evo Morales has been accused of fraudulent activity during the election three weeks ago.
What We Know:
#Bolivia : police forces in #Cochabamba are in mutiny against the government, refusing to crack down against protesters following election fraud pic.twitter.com/rPo9ByTZym
— Thomas van Linge (@ThomasVLinge) November 8, 2019
- Morales was the first indigenous president who pushed for more left-leaning policies. This eventually backfired with many protestors shouting “This is not Cuba. This is not Venezuela! This is Bolivia, and Bolivia will be respected”.
- Morales seemed to be losing to rival Carlos Mesa in the election. But Morales narrowly securing the necessary votes to avoid the runoff election led to critics accusing him of fraud, according to the New York Times.
- The Organization of American States released an audit that exposed clear manipulation of computers in the election. The organization advised that “The manipulations to the computer system are of such a magnitude that they should be deeply investigated by the Bolivian government to get to the bottom of and assign responsibilities in this serious case”.
- Morales called for a new election on Sunday, but the protest didn’t stop. Police have joined protestors, marching alongside them against Morales. Vice President Álvaro García Linera and Senate President Adriana Salvatierra also resigned that day. Morales stated on Sunday “I want to tell you, brothers and sisters, that the fight does not end here, the poor, the social movements, will continue in this fight for equality and peace.”
Morales stated he was headed to Mexico to seek refugee status. It remains unclear who will succeed Morales.
