Supporters of former Bolivian President Evo Morales take part in a protest, in La Paz, Bolivia November 21, 2019. REUTERS/Marco Bello
November 21, 2019
LA PAZ (Reuters) – Former Bolivian President Evo Morales and his Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, who both resigned under pressure this month, will not be candidates for their Movement for Socialism (MAS) party in the next elections, a prominent party official said on Thursday.
“We are going to participate in the elections and we are going to do it with young candidates, especially for president and vice president,” Henry Cabrera, senior MAS member and vice president of the house of deputies, told Reuters.
“We are not going to recycle candidates.”
On Wednesday, Bolivia’s interim government presented a bill that would annul the disputed Oct. 20 vote, appoint a new electoral board and forge a path to new elections. Cabrera said MAS would not propose members for the new electoral board.
The South American country’s two chambers of congress are expected to debate the bill beginning on Thursday and possibly extending into Friday. There is no date set for new elections.
Long-term leftist leader Morales, Garcia Linera and several other top MAS officials stepped down on Nov. 10 under pressure from protesters, civil groups, security forces and allies, as well as an international audit that found serious irregularities in the election count and cast doubt on Morales’ announced outright victory.
The interim government of conservative former Senator Jeanine Anez is grappling to mend stark divisions between Morales’ supporters and opponents seeking to move beyond his nearly 14-year rule.
Demonstrators calling for the resignation of Anez were marching from the high-altitude city of El Alto to the capital La Paz.
Led by a protester on a motor scooter carrying a multi-colored flag representing indigenous tribes of the Andean region, the march featured people dressed in working class western garb with baseball hats and women in native dress.
Street violence has shaken the country and killed 32 people since the disputed October election.
Human Rights Watch called on Bolivia to repeal a decree it said was passed on Nov. 15 that granted the military broad discretion in the use of force.
“Bolivian authorities should stop harassing journalists and government opponents and ensure that judicial authorities conduct independent, impartial, and prompt investigations into deaths during clashes between security forces and protesters,” the organization said in a statement.
(Reporting by Daniel Ramos and Monica Machicao; Writing by Cassandra Garrison and Hugh Bronstein; Editing by David Gregorio and Daniel Wallis)
