translated from Spanish: Evo Morales announces new elections in Bolivia

Bolivia’s President Evo Morales announced on Sunday (10.11.2019) the call for new general elections, following the report of the Organization of American States (OAS) that recommends the repetition of the prime election round held on October 20th that was given as the winner.
In a brief hearing in which he did not cite this report, he said that the new ballot box appointment will be held with a renewed electoral body, in the face of allegations of fraud on the first round of which the current one is accused.
“I have decided to call for new elections,” said the representative from the presidential hangar at The Alto International Airport, the neighboring city of La Paz.
Repeal of members of the Supreme Electoral Court
The representative was accompanied by representatives of social movements related to his Government and said that he had consulted them before making the decision. The head of state said he agreed to the repeal of all members of the Supreme Electoral Court, which opposition and civic committees accuse of electoral fraud in the victory that granted Morales a fourth consecutive term until 2025.
In this regard, he indicated that the Bolivian Parliament, the body competent to renew the electoral tribunal, would soon begin the process for appointing new members. Morales stated that the next electoral process, without concrete dates, will be carried out by “new political actors”. The president stressed that he made this decision of new elections to “lower all tension” and “pacify Bolivia”.
OAS calls for a first lap
Previously, the OAS General Secretariat had requested to annul the first round of Bolivia’s elections, held three weeks ago and classified as fraudulent by the opposition, and to hold new elections with a new electoral body, in a statement .
“The first round of the elections held on 20 October last must be annulled and the electoral process must begin again, with the first round being held as soon as there are new conditions that give new guarantees for its holding, including a new composition of the electoral body,” the statement says, as thousands of Bolivians prepare to enter a fourth week of protests in demand of the annulment of the elections and the resignation of President Evo Morales.
EU calls for non-violent demonstrations and “credible” elections
For its part, the European Union (EU) called for averting violence at Bolivia’s demonstrations and has advocated organizing “credible” elections to resolve the country’s crisis.
“In view of the continuing protests in Bolivia, the European Union underlines the need for demonstrations to remain peaceful. Violence should be avoided, as it will not bring a solution to the current crisis,” said the spokeswoman of the High Representative of the Foreign Affairs Union, Federica Mogherini, in a statement.
The situation can only be resolved “through peaceful negotiations, a credible electoral process that ensures that the will of the people and strong democratic institutions are respected,” he added.

Original source in Spanish