Insta
Trump Says Departure Of Bolivian President Evo Morales A Signal For Other Leftist Heads Of States Like Maduro And Ortega
IANS
Nov 12, 2019, 01:45 PM | Updated 01:44 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
US President Donald Trump has warned the leftist leaders of Venezuela and Nicaragua - Nicolas Maduro and Daniel Ortega, respectively - that the departure from power of their former Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales was also a signal for them.
"These events send a strong signal to the illegitimate regimes in Venezuela and Nicaragua that democracy and the will of the people will always prevail," Trump said in a statement on Monday (11 November).
Trump also praised the role of the Bolivian military, which forced Morales to step down, reports Efe news.
"The US applauds the Bolivian people for demanding freedom and the Bolivian military for abiding by its oath to protect not just a single person, but Bolivia's constitution," he added.
In his statement, Trump also said that with Morales resignation was a "significant moment for democracy in the Western Hemisphere".
The US leader went on to say that with Morales' departure, the hemisphere is one step closer to being fully democratic, prosperous and free.
Both Maduro and Ortega have denounced the situation in Bolivia as a coup and have expressed their support for Morales, just as have Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez-Obrador, Cuba's Miguel Diaz-Canel and Argentina's President-elect Alberto Fernandez.
The whereabouts of Morales were not known after he announced his resignation on Sunday (10 November), but on Monday (11 November) Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard announced that the former Bolivian leader had formally requested and been granted asylum in Mexico.
The Bolivian leader's resignation comes after he announced that a new presidential election will be held and the country's electoral entity would be completely restructured amid denunciations of irregularities in the 20 October vote by the Organization of American States in which he had been re-elected to a fourth term.
Many had complained that the vote was rigged to ensure he remained in power.
OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, meanwhile, urged the Bolivian legislature to meet on an "urgent" basis and "ensure" that the country's institutions continued to operate properly during a transition period leading to the new election.
(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.