The ring-wing senator who proclaimed herself interim president of Bolivia after the armed forces pressured elected head of state Evo Morales into resigning sent a bill to Congress calling for elections in 2020.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, Jeanine Anez said that the aim of her proposed legislation is to ensure a “transparent” electoral process leading to a result which is “respected”.
“May God permit that we have transparent elections, may God enlighten the Legislative Assembly,” she said.
The man she named as justice minister, Alvaro Coimbra, said the first step must be annulling the Oct 20 vote – a manoeuvre that is not allowed under current Bolivian law.
On Wednesday, the bill presented that included “the possibility of shortening time-frames,” according to Coimbra, meaning that a new electoral tribunal could be appointed within weeks.
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 has been granted asylum in Mexico took to Twitter, saying that a massacre had occurred and he described Bolivia’s interim government as a dictatorship.
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.
Morales entered politics after years as the leader of the coca growers union in the Chapare region of Cochabamba province, where support for Bolivia’s first indigenous president remains strong.
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.”
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 United States and Brazil, among others, have recognized Anez as interim president, while many in the international community have limited their response to calling for dialogue while declining to take sides.
(With inputs from agency)