As Bolivia witnessed political unrest after the resignation of former leader Evo Morales, the city’s interim government on Monday was considering conducting a new presidential election, according to the official.
Jerjes Justiniano, interim presidential minister, said that the government wanted to appoint new members to the Supreme Electoral Court, but the move was being blocked by the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party, which holds a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly, Efe news reported.
Justiniano further said, “Unfortunately, no progress has been made with the MAS bloc”.
On Friday, five protesters were killed after a clash erupted between Bolivian police and troops outside the city of Cochabamba.
Thousands of largely indigenous protesters, many coca leaf growers, had gathered peacefully in Sacaba on Friday morning. But fighting began when many tried to cross a military checkpoint near the city of Cochabamba, where Morales supporters and foes have clashed for weeks.
Morales was declared the winner of the October 20 presidential election with a narrow margin, giving him a controversial fourth term, having first taken power in 2006.
The violence came as Bolivia’s interim president, Jeanine Áñez, said Morales would face possible legal charges for election fraud if he returned home, even as the ousted leader contended he is still president, despite resigning after massive protests against him.
Last week, violence had continued as a caravan of buses taking opposition supporters to La Paz was attacked, leaving three people injured, including one by gunfire. Morales lashed out against the OAS mission, accusing it of making a “political decision” instead of a technical one. “Some OAS technicians are at the service of … power groups.”