LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — The latest on the political crisis in Bolivia (all times local):
8:20 p.m.
Bolivian police say they have detained the former president and vice president of the Supreme Electoral Court following release of an Organization of American States audit that found irregularities in Oct. 20 presidential election.
The announcement Sunday came hours after President Evo Morales announced his resignation under growing pressure amid allegations of fraud in the vote count.
Police commander Yuri Calderón says 36 other officials of the electoral body also have been detained on suspicion of falsification and other electoral crimes. Calderón says former court president Maria Eugenia Choque was apprehended while dressed to look like a man.
The attorney general’s office earlier announced that it was opening an investigation into allegations raised by the OAS report.
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7:30 p.m.
Mexico’s foreign secretary is criticizing the Bolivian military for getting involved in events that preceded Sunday’s resignation by Bolivian President Evo Morales.
Marcelo Ebrard says that “there is a military operation going on, and we reject it.”
Morales announced his resignation Sunday soon after Bolivia’s military commander called on him to resign amid unrest over allegations of fraud in the country’s Oct. 20 presidential election.
Going on Twitter, Ebrard said: “Mexico will maintain its position of respct for democracy and institutions. Coup no.”
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5:15 p.m.
Bolivian President Evo Morales has announced his resignation, seeking to calm the country after weeks of unrest over a disputed election that he had claimed to win.
He made the move Sunday hours after the Organization of American States called for a new a presidential election, citing irregularities in the Oct. 20 vote.
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4:45 p.m.
The head of Bolivia’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal has resigned after an audit of the Oct. 20 presidential election concluded there were irregularities in the vote.
The tribunal president, María Eugenia Choque, announced her resignation on Sunday.
A preliminary report by the Organization of American States found a “heap of observed irregularities” in the presidential contest and said a new vote should be held.
The attorney general’s office in Bolivia then said it would investigate the judges on the electoral tribunal.
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4 p.m.
Bolivia’s military chief says that President Evo Morales should resign so that stability can be restored after weeks of protests over his disputed election.
Speaking on national television, Gen. Williams Kaliman also appealed to Bolivians to desist from violence.
He stepped in after Morales agreed earlier in the day to hold a new election.
Morales’ claim to have won a fourth term last month has triggered fraud allegations, deadly protests and a split among security forces.