Bolivia’s former president preferred to depart to Mexico where he was granted the asylum by the leftist Mexican government, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
Evo Morales was flying to Mexico on Monday evening after fleeing his South American homeland. Former Bolivia’s president is seeking refuge under a leftist government in Mexico after the weeks of street protests in La Paz.
Mexico expressed its support to Evo Morales immediately after his Sunday televised statement when he announced his resignation. The veteran socialist in the wake of a disputed election was forced to leave the native country,
Evo Morales became Bolivia’s first indigenous president and the last from ‘pink tide’ leftist rulers in Latin America.
Late on Monday, ex-president Morales left Bolivia on a Mexican Air Force jet, Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard confirmed on his Twitter.
“His life and integrity are safe,” Ebrard wrote.
In fact, the Mexican government’s support has helped cement its emerging role as a bastion of diplomatic support for left-wing leaders in Latin America.
Morales was running Bolivia for 13 years
Evo Morales governed for 13 years and he was proud to be the first indigenous leader but under the current situation, it is wiser to leave Bolivia rather than put the lives of Bolivians at risk. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador praised Morales for that hard decision.
Morales’ government collapsed on Sunday after the army urged him to step down, a tactic that Mexico views as a “coup” because it broke with Bolivia’s constitutional order.
Actually, Morales’ departure added to a sense of upcoming catastrophe in Latin America, which has been hit by weeks of unrest in countries such as Ecuador and Chile, where protesters are urging governments to step back from policies raising fuel and transport prices.
