Bolivia’s Morales calls for ‘urgent’ talks with opposition

Bolivia’s President Evo Morales has called for “urgent” negotiations with the opposition in the midst of a wave of protests that have plunged the Latin American country into chaos after disputed election results.

Morales, speaking at a press conference in the Bolivian capital of La Paz on Saturday, called for a round-table discussion with the four political parties represented in the country’s assembly.

Electoral authorities announced that incumbent Morales secured an outright win in the first round of the presidential election on October 20, while his rival and the head of the Civic Community opposition party, Carlos Mesa, refused to recognize the results of the vote.

Opposition parties claimed that there had been irregularities in the vote-counting process, and the Bolivian president accused the opposition of trying to overthrow him.

“To preserve peace in our beloved Bolivia, I urgently call for talks with representatives of parties who have won seats in the elections,” Morales said on Saturday.

The 60-year-old leftist leader also called on Pope Francis, human rights defenders, and international organizations to “join our complaint against anti-democratic groups that have launched a coup in Bolivia.”

Mesa rejected the proposal a few hours later, saying that he had nothing to negotiate over with the president.

Morales warned a day earlier that violent groups had launched a “coup d’etat” after a police mutiny was reported in several regions in Bolivia.

“Sisters and brothers, our democracy is at risk due to the coup d’etat that violent groups have launched to undermine the constitutional order,” he wrote on Twitter late on Friday.

Police join protesters

Police and security forces were seen on Saturday joining anti-government protests and some police officers guarding the square near the presidential palace were also reported to have left their posts.

Morales called on the police to “comply with the constitution and its mission to preserve, guarantee the security of the Bolivian people” and to stop the riots that have taken place in police stations throughout the country.

Meanwhile, the Bolivian military said in a statement that it wouldn’t confront the demonstrators in the weeks-long standoff over Bolivia’s disputed election.

“We will never confront the people to whom we have a duty and we will always ensure peace, coexistence and the development of our homeland,” the army statement said.

Protesters seize media outlets

Tensions further escalated in Bolivia on Saturday when anti-government protesters took control of two state-run media outlets in La Paz and forced them off the air.

The protesters forced some 40 employees to leave the buildings of the state news television and radio, disrupting news programming.

Morales blasted the seizure of the media outlets in a tweet, noting, “They [the protesters] say they defend democracy, but they behave as if they were in a dictatorship.”

The president came to power in 2006 as Bolivia’s first indigenous leader and has won his previous three terms with solid majorities.

Morales won last month’s vote with a lead of just over 10 points against Mesa, his nearest rival. The victory was marred by a near 24-hour halt in the count, which, when resumed, showed a sharp shift in Morales’ favor.

The Organization of American States (OAS) has been tasked with doing a count audit, which is expected to be completed before the middle of the month.

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