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2019 Bolivian protests | |||
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Date | Before Morales resignation 21 October – 10 November 2019 After Morales resignation 11–21 November 2019 | ||
Location | |||
Caused by | Before Morales resignation
After Morales resignation
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Methods | Protests, rioting, civil resistance, unrest, and strike actions | ||
Resulted in |
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Parties | |||
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Lead figures | |||
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Casualties | |||
Death(s) | 33 (as of 27 November 2019)[2] | ||
Injuries | 804 (as of 27 November 2019)[2] | ||
Arrested | 1511 (as of 27 November 2019)[2] |
2019 Bolivian political crisis |
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Causes |
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Effects |
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Events |
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Elections |
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The 2019 Bolivian protests, also known as the Pitita Revolution (Spanish: la Revolución de las Pititas),[3] were protests and marches from 21 October 2019 until late November of that year in Bolivia, in response to claims of electoral fraud in the 2019 general election of 20 October. After 11 November 2019, there were protests by supporters of the outgoing government in response to Jeanine Áñez becoming the acting president of Bolivia. The claims of fraud were made after the suspension of the preliminary vote count, in which incumbent Evo Morales was not leading by a large enough margin (10%) to avoid a runoff, and the subsequent publication of the official count, in which Morales won by just over 10%. Some international observers expressed concern over the integrity of the elections.[4]
While the majority of the demonstrations were peaceful, there were also numerous acts of violence. Initial violence allegedly targeted opposition protesters, Pro-MAS supporters were bused into opposition areas, given weapons, and were told to clear blockades, resulting in death and injury of opposition protesters.[5][6][7] In the later weeks of the protests, senior members of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) and their families were victims of attacks, including vandalism and arson of their houses.[8][9]
Morales denied the allegations and invited international observers to audit the electoral processes, promising to hold a runoff if any fraud was found, although initially refusing to be bound by the results of an audit.[10][11] Opposition leaders rejected the OAS audit, saying they hadn't been party to the agreement.[12] Subsequently, an audit team from the Organization of American States (OAS), with access provided by Bolivian authorities, worked to verify the integrity and reliability of the results. Their preliminary report, released on 10 November 2019 questioned the integrity of the election results and recommended another "electoral process".[13]
Following the release of the OAS initial report, Morales announced the government would hold another full election (rather than a runoff).[14] However, later that day, the influential National Union of Workers requested Morales' resignation, followed 5 hours later by the commanders of the Armed Forces who suggested Morales resign during a live televised press conference, and almost immediately after, the national Police Commander also requested his resignation. Morales, together with his Vice President Álvaro García Linera, resigned the same day, on live television, both also delivered written resignations.[15][16][17] In Morales's case, he would later describe in his memoir Volveremos y seremos millones (We'll come back and we'll be millions) that he made the decision to resign the night before the requests.[18] Following his resignation and the resignations of the next two politicians in the line of succession, Jeanine Áñez, second vice-president of the Senate, was next in line for the presidency. On 12 November 2019, she formed an interim government.
Protests continued until the end of November, primarily by those that sought Morales' return. Under direction from Morales and his allies, and at times under coercion, protesters created blockades on inter-departmental highways, resulting in shortages of food and fuel.[19][20] The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concerns over massacres by the new government in response to armed protests at Senkata and Sacaba.[21][22][23][24] By 25 November 2019, the interim government had made agreements with most protest leaders to end blockades, and began to withdraw troops and to release arrested protesters.[25]
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