La Paz, Bolivia, Mar 17, 2021 / 10:04 am
The Bolivian Bishops' Conference has denounced the arrest of the former interim president of the country, Jeanine Áñez, on charges of terrorism, sedition, and conspiracy, and called on the new government to "desist from total control of power, revenge and persecution."
Áñez, the vice-president of the Senate, became interim president following the constitutional order of succession to the presidency when Evo Morales, then-president of Bolivia, fled the country in November 2019 after weeks of protest regarding a disputed election.
According to the electoral commission Morales won on the October 2019 election's first round, but the opposition claimed fraud. The Organization of American States said Nov. 10, 2019 that there was "clear manipulation" in the election, and that it was statistically improbable that Morales had won by the margin needed to avoid a runoff.
Within hours of the OAS report, Morales resigned, after being encouraged to do so by the head of the Bolivian armed forces. He fled to Mexico, receiving asylum there, and then in Argentina.