Political crisis in Bolivia has taken a crucial turn. The landlocked country in western-central South America region has been witnessing political unrest after a presidential election held by former president Evo Morales allegedly to stay in power for the fourth time. Getting an asylum, Bolivia’s first indigenous president Morales fled to Mexico leaving his country behind in turmoil. In a changing scenario, full charge was taken by deputy senate leader Jeanine Anez, who belongs to opposition Democratic Unity Party, as interim president earlier this week. She took power amid a bloody political drama apparently to fill the political vacuum after Bolivia’s vice-president and the leaders of the senate and lower house joined Morales in resigning. After that, supporters of Morales have been protesting Anez’s assumption of power. Violent clashes among protestors and security forces have become a common feature in the streets of Bolivia. In the latest incident, five supporters of Morales were killed in fierce clashes with security forces on Friday and several hundred were also detained in police raid.
The leader of the leftist Movement for Socialism party Morales, who has governed Bolivia for the past 13 years, said he wants to return to pacify the country and also denounced the decision by the US President Donald Trump’s administration to acknowledge the Anez government. Morales claimed this coup d’etat that has triggered the death of Bolivian people was a political and economic plot that came from the US. He was forced to resign being pressured by Bolivian military officials on Sunday shortly after an organisation of American States audit reported widespread irregularities in last month’s election results. He was first elected as president in 2006 and later praised for different achievements, including lifting millions out of poverty along with high economic growth in South America’s poorest country.
We wonder if Morales had so much success stories why he has involved himself in a controversial election. But one thing we cannot deny — the role of US administration which remains always busy in political set-ups in those countries which show little interest to come under its umbrella, in the name of tackling socialism. Like Bolivia, there are more examples in South and Latin America regions.
