After the resignation of Evo Morales, Bolivia plunges into the unknown

Sunday, the president had to face cascading starts, before announcing his, after three weeks of intense social protest.

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Bolivians celebrate the resignation of President Evo Morales on November 10 in La Paz. DANIEL WALKER / AFP

It is a real political earthquake in Bolivia. The president, Evo Morales, in power for nearly fourteen years, announced his resignation Sunday, November 10, after three weeks of intense social protest.

A resignation that seemed the only possible outcome as the head of state was cornered from all sides. During the day Sunday, Evo Morales was dropped by many of his supporters and had to deal with cascading resignations. That very morning he had announced the convening of new elections for "Pacify the country" but that had not succeeded in extinguishing the fire which is shaking the country, locked up in one of the worst political crises of its history.

"If pudo, lo sacamos" (We did it, we took it out), chanted the opponents massed in the streets of the big cities to celebrate the announcement of the news.

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Cascade resignations

The Bolivian army had recommended the head of state to resign, saying that such a decision would help restore calm in the country. "After analyzing the national conflict, we ask the president to give up his presidential mandate, to allow the restoration of peace and the restoration of stability in the country"said the commander of the land forces, Williams Kaliman, to the press.

Most ministers and dozens of senators and MPs submitted their resignation letters. "The course of events goes against my personal principles, as well as my spiritual and democratic values, and therefore it prevents me from continuing to head the state portfolio that I run.", wrote the Minister of hydrocarbons, Luis Alberto Sanchez, in a letter sent to the president and posted on his Twitter accountshortly after the announcement of the resignation of the Minister of Mines.

"There were mutinies in the police force, the army is neutralized she said she would not use force against the Bolivian people Evo Morales has just lost the support of the Bolivian Central Workers' Union (COB), one of its most loyal supporters. His resignation seems inevitable, For his part, the political scientist Marcelo Silva, former political adviser of the Movement to Socialism (MAS, the party in power), judged a few hours before the announcement of the Head of State.