If approved, the text would cancel the poll of 20 October, after which Evo Morales had proclaimed himself re-elected before being pushed to resignation.
She says she wants to end the political crisis that claimed the lives of 32 people in less than a month. Bolivia's acting president, Jeanine Añez, sent a bill to parliament on Wednesday (November 20th) to hold new presidential and parliamentary elections, one month after the 20 October presidential election that marked the start of violent protests.
If it is approved, the text would cancel the last election, after which Evo Morales had proclaimed himself re-elected, and would allow the establishment of a new Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), said Mme Añez, who was previously an opposition senator. The electoral institution was at the heart of a controversy over the counting of the votes of the presidential election. This new TSE would be responsible for defining a date for the new ballot.
The outcome of the vote, however, remains uncertain, the Movement to Socialism of the former president holding the majority. But the interim president, who retains the possibility of issuing a presidential decree to call elections, said at a press conference "National consensus".
On Tuesday, clashes between security forces and supporters of Evo Morales near the Senkata refinery, a few kilometers from La Paz, killed eight people, according to the latest assessment of the prosecution. The clashes erupted as the army and police cleared the El Alto fuel plant, which protesters had been occupying since last week to pressure Mme Añez and demand his resignation.
Almost daily events
Under pressure from the street and after being released by the army, Evo Morales resigned on November 10 before going into exile in Mexico. The departure of the first indigenous president of Bolivia led to almost daily demonstrations by his supporters who shouted at the coup. The most violent clashes took place in Cochabamba (center), a stronghold of Mr. Morales, where nine people were killed in clashes with police and the army.
There is a shortage of food in the shops and restaurants of La Paz due to road blocks that lead to agricultural areas of Bolivia, in the center and east of the country. Since the unblocking of the Senkata refinery, some fifty tanker trucks have been able to supply the service stations of La Paz and its region.
To try to "Pacify" Bolivia, Jeanine Añez, interim president since November 12, had promised in the morning to quickly call his fellow citizens to the polls. "God willing, today, in the morning, we will call the elections, as the whole country claims"she had told the press. Since Washington, the Organization of American States has approved a resolution calling for "Urgently" new polls in Bolivia. At the same time, the interim government is participating in a dialogue initiated on Monday by the Church, which brings together all the parties and civil society, but nothing has yet filtered out of these talks.
