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AFP
AFP
World
Francisco JARA

Morales arrives in Mexico as Bolivia senate seeks to name interim president

Bolivian ex-president Evo Morales waves upon landing in Mexico where he has been granted asylum, two days after resigning under pressure from the armed forces. ©AFP

La Paz (AFP) - Evo Morales vowed on Tuesday to continue "the struggle" after arriving in Mexico where he has been granted political asylum, as Bolivia's senate seeks to end civil turmoil and fill the power vacuum left by his abrupt resignation as president.

Morales thanked Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a left-wing ally, saying "he saved my life," and insisted he would remain in politics.

Lawmakers in Bolivia, meanwhile, were summoned to ratify Morales's resignation and appoint deputy senate leader Jeanine Anez as interim president.

"That's the intention, I hope we can do it.We can't remain without government," said Anez.

She has found herself next in line after the resignations of vice president Alvaro Garcia Linera, the Senate president and the speaker of the lower house of Congress.

Grinning and waving as he disembarked from the Mexican military plane that flew him out of Bolivia Monday night, Morales was welcomed to Mexico by Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard.

Morales told reporters he was the victim of a "coup" before defending his record of bettering living conditions for poor and indigenous Bolivians.

"There will only be peace when social justice is achieved for all," he said.

After nearly 14 years in power, Morales left behind a rudderless country beset by turmoil.

He resigned after losing the support of the military.Dozens of officials and ministers also stepped down, some seeking refuge in foreign embassies.

On Monday, the armed forces pledged to help police take back the streets from violent groups that have wreaked havoc since the controversial October 20 election that saw Morales win an unconstitutional fourth term.

Anez has already pledged to call fresh elections to end the political crisis.

However, the senators must first reach La Paz for her to be sworn in as interim president.

Public transport has been virtually paralyzed since Sunday night when protesters torched 64 municipal buses.The cable car system that serves La Paz has also ground to a halt.

'I'll be back'

Anez, 52, said she was confident that enough senators would reach the Senate to open a session -- 19 of the 36 are needed to do so.

She said even senators from Morales's Movement for Socialism (MAS) party "want to end this uncertainty, vandalism and instability that we have in the country."

"I think the people are crying out for there to be an elected president on January 22," she said.

The crisis touched off by Morales's resignation on Sunday -- after three weeks of protests over his disputed re-election -- deepened on Monday as gangs unhappy with his departure attacked police stations and civilians, triggering panic in the streets.

Morales, his son and Garcia Linera were whisked out of Peru on a  military plane, stopping in Paraguay to refuel after Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia itself denied requests to use their airspace.

"It pains me to leave the country for political reasons, but I will always be watching.I will be back soon with more strength and energy," Morales tweeted on Monday night.

Hundreds of Morales supporters protested outside the presidential palace in La Paz Monday night. 

Overwhelmed police asked for help from the army, and the military organized joint patrols "to prevent bloodshed and fighting among the Bolivian family," armed forces chief General Williams Kaliman said in a televised address.

Three people have died in clashes since the election, and hundreds more have been injured.

Morales said on Twitter two of his homes had been attacked by vandals, while opposition leader Carlos Mesa, also on Twitter, said "a violent mob" was heading for his home to attack it.

Shops and offices in La Paz were shuttered on Monday in the wake of looting in parts of La Paz and El Alto.

The police -- largely confined to barracks since a rebellion Friday in which many units joined the protests -- returned to the streets on Monday.

'Irregularities'

Morales, 60, a former coca farmer who was Bolivia's first indigenous president, said his opposition rivals, Mesa and Luis Fernando Camacho, "will go down in history as racists and coup plotters."

He was Latin America's longest serving leader until Sunday.

Morales had initially tried to hold onto power and call new elections following an Organization of American States audit that found "irregularities" in virtually every area reviewed and questioned "the integrity of the election results."

Police have since arrested 33 electoral magistrates as the attorney general's office investigates potential electoral fraud.

US President Donald Trump hailed Morales's resignation as a "significant moment for democracy in the Western Hemisphere," and praised the role of the country's military.

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