Bolivian President Evo Morales’ near 14-year rule was teetering on Sunday as allies resigned and the military suggested he step down, as the fallout from a disputed election spread through the South American nation, Trend reports citing Reuters.
The head of the country’s armed forces said the military had asked Morales, who had earlier agreed to hold new presidential elections amid growing evidence of fraud in an Oct. 20 vote, to step down in the wake of weeks of protests.
“We suggest the President of the State renounce his presidential mandate, allowing peace to be restored and the stability maintained for the good of our Bolivia,” said General Williams Kaliman, the commander of Bolivia’s armed forces.
“Likewise, we ask the Bolivian people and mobilized sectors to shed attitudes of violence and disorder among brothers so as not to stain our families with blood, pain and mourning.”
Earlier on Sunday, a report from the Organization of American States (OAS), which conducted an audit of the October vote, revealed serious irregularities in the election won by Morales, which sparked widespread division in the country.