Bolivia has plunged into a political crisis after Evo Morales - the
country's first indigenous president and its longest-serving leader -
was forced to step down following pressure from the military, police and
public protests over alleged electoral fraud on 20 October 2019. Roiled
by mass protests at least 32 people have died since then, most of them
reportedly in alleged police and army crackdowns on pro-Morales
protests, with hundreds more injured and arrested. An interim
administration, led by Acting President Jeanine Áñez, has assumed power
with a mandate to call fresh elections - but she has unveiled a new
cabinet which critics say could further increase civil and ethnic
polarization in Bolivia. Hence it is imperative that the interim
administration and the MAS Party - which has governed the country since
2006 - cooperate with each other and work together, so that rule-of-law
can be restored in Bolivia; including the right to protest peacefully
and to vote in transparent, competitive and fair elections.