La Paz (AFP) - Bolivia's Evo Morales was en route to exile in Mexico on Tuesday, as the Senate met to try to end civil turmoil and fill the power vacuum left by his abrupt resignation as president.
Lawmakers were summoned to ratify Morales's resignation and appoint deputy senate leader Jeanine Anez as interim president.
She has found herself next in line to take over after the resignations of vice president Alvaro Garcia Linera, the Senate president and the speaker of the lower house of Congress.
"That's the intention, I hope we can do it.We can't remain without government," said Anez.
The nation suddenly found itself without a leader following Morales's resignation on Sunday after losing the support of Bolivia's armed forces.
Late on Monday night, he boarded a Mexican military airplane and left the country having been granted asylum by Mexico.
Earlier, the military 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, her being sworn in as interim president depends on the ability of senators to reach La Paz, the seat of government.
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.
Bolivia appeared increasingly rudderless after dozens of officials and ministers resigned along with Morales, some seeking refuge in foreign embassies.
'I'll be back'
Morales asked left-wing ally Mexico for asylum and was whisked away on a military plane, along with his son and Garcia, It made a stop in Paraguay to refuel and file a flight path to Mexico.
"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.
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."
"We already have a program.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.
On Monday night, hundreds of Morales supporters who traveled to La Paz from nearby El Alto protested outside the presidential palace.
Overwhelmed police asked for help from the army.
"The military command of the armed forces has arranged for joint operations with the police to prevent bloodshed and fighting among the Bolivian family," said armed forces chief General Williams Kaliman in a televised address.
Three people have died in clashes since the election.
Morales said on Twitter late on Monday that two of his homes had been attacked by vandals.
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 that broke out late Sunday 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 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.
Morales defended his legacy on Sunday, which includes landmark gains against hunger and poverty and tripling the country's economy during his nearly 14 years in office.