'Rocks, sticks and tear gas,' amid violent protests in Santa Cruz over disputed Bolivia election
Record ID:
1438572
'Rocks, sticks and tear gas,' amid violent protests in Santa Cruz over disputed Bolivia election
- Title: 'Rocks, sticks and tear gas,' amid violent protests in Santa Cruz over disputed Bolivia election
- Date: 23rd October 2019
- Summary: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (OCTOBER 23, 2019) (REUTERS) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, CARLOS MESA, WALKING INTO NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, CARLOS MESA, SAYING: "The president has systematically violated the constitution and the one who violates the rule of law and who violates democracy through his qualification as an illegal candidate among other things and promoter of fraud is President Morales." MESA DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, CARLOS MESA, SAYING: "It is a circumstance of civil political crisis in the first place, brought about with total, absolute and unequal responsibility by the government and by President Morales. Because this crisis situation has been generated by the decision to alter the results and modify what all the data give as evident that it's a second round. In the first place, to say that the responsibility of this political crisis is that of the government which controls - arbitrarily and with restraint - you can no longer doubt it, the supreme electoral court as an executing arm of its decisions."
- Embargoed: 6th November 2019 23:56
- Keywords: clashes Bolivia Santa Cruz La Paz Morales
- Location: SANTA CRUZ AND LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
- City: SANTA CRUZ AND LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
- Country: Bolivia
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA002B2BL6PZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: AUDIO AS INCOMING
Clashes erupted between supporters of Bolivian President Evo Morales and presidential candidate Carlos Mesa in the lowland city of Santa Cruz on Wednesday (October 23).
Bolivian leader Evo Morales has claimed victory in a presidential election and accused the opposition of trying to orchestrate a coup, after mass opposition-led protests since the Sunday vote that claimed the counting was rigged.
The latest official count, apparently frozen with nearly 97% of the ballot processed, showed Morales with 46.49% of the vote. That puts him 9.5 points ahead of main rival Carlos Mesa, but still short of the 10-point lead needed to win outright and avoid a riskier second round run-off.
Mesa said that the Morales-led government was behind the political crisis and had orchestrated a fraudulent election.
(Production: Monica Machicao) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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