Bolivian President resigns and will receive asylum in Mexico

The Wall Street Journal:

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales, whose resignation amid allegations of fraud in October’s presidential election left his country without a leader and mired in growing chaos, accepted Mexico’s offer of asylum…

A dangerous power vacuum prevailed in Bolivia on Monday, with Congress failing to name a new president and police clashing with pro-Morales mobs and looters.

Canceled flights, roadblocks and sporadic violence around the country on Monday kept numerous legislators from reaching the capital La Paz, where they had planned to vote on whether to accept Mr. Morales’s resignation and name an interim president. But lacking a quorum, Congress was unable to act.

Democracy Now: 

Bolivia is in a state of political crisis after longtime President Evo Morales resigned Sunday following what he described as a military coup. Weeks of protests have taken place since a disputed election last month…

For more on the unfolding crisis in Bolivia, we speak with Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. His latest piece for The Nation is headlined “The Trump Administration Is Undercutting Democracy in Bolivia.” “This is a military coup — there’s no doubt about it now,” Weisbrot says.

Responses from nations to Evo Morales’ resignation have largely called it a coup. The United States, whom Weisbrot argues supported the coup, was not among them.

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