Bolivian senator claims interim presidency

La Paz, November 13

Bolivians have new uncertainty to grapple with now that opposition Sen Jeanine Añez declared herself interim President of the crisis-torn Andean country just hours after Evo Morales flew off to self-exile in Mexico.

Questions remained about who might rally around Añez, while Morales’ supporters angrily accused her of trying to seize power in her declaration, raising the prospect of more troubles following clashes over the disputed October 20 presidential election.

People took to the streets cheering and waving national flags on Tuesday night after Añez claimed the post of Senate leader, the position next in line for the presidency. Furious supporters of Morales responded by trying to force their way to the Congress building in La Paz yelling, “She must quit!”

Añez, a women’s rights activist and former TV presenter, seemed in a tenuous position. She declared herself interim president even though she lacked a quorum in the Senate after Morales’ party boycotted the session, and she wasn’t sworn in by anyone before appearing on a balcony of the old presidential palace wearing the presidential sash.

Morales resigned shortly after an Organization of American States audit reported widespread irregularities in the vote count. He is in Mexico, but his resignation still needs approval by both Houses of Congress, and lawmakers could not assemble the numbers for formal sessions. — AP