Interim leader asks Bolivia to return to normalcy as the streets seethe

The lawmaker who has assumed Bolivia’s interim presidency addressed her violence-torn nation Wednesday and pledged to “reconstruct democracy,” even as the ousted Bolivian president called her government unconstitutional and his backers vowed to disrupt it.

In her first televised address to Bolivia, Jeanine Añez Chavez, the senator who declared herself interim president Tuesday, urged citizens to resume their normal lives after weeks of violence set off by a disputed election. She promised to seek “a national consensus.”

And Añez rejected accusations from Evo Morales, who stepped down as president Sunday with his country in turmoil, that her assumption of the presidency was illegitimate. Morales has taken refuge in Mexico.

On Wednesday, with the backing of the military, Añez met with advisers to appoint a new Cabinet.

But outside, in the streets of La Paz, a scene of chaos was playing out, and it was clear that Bolivia remained deeply polarised and volatile four days after Morales, the nation’s first indigenous leader, resigned amid claims of election fraud.

On Wednesday afternoon, after using tear gas to break up a peaceful protest by supporters of Morales, police blocked about a dozen senators allied with the former president from entering the legislature.

“Dictatorship! Dictatorship!” chanted the crowd accompanying the lawmakers.

Less than an hour later, as tear gas wafted outside the government palace, the armed forces announced a shake-up of the high command. An army general, Carlos Orellana Centellas, became the new top commander of the armed forces and promised to take orders from Añez.

“We will guarantee the security of the constitutional government,” Orellana Centellas said.

Añez’s assumption of the interim presidency has won the backing of the country’s Constitutional Court. And Wednesday night, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the United States “applauds” Añez for “stepping up” as Bolivia’s interim leader.

But Mario Galindo, a noted Bolivian political science professor, said the political situation was confusing and in flux. “At this moment, it is not clear who is in charge of whom,” he said.

Under Bolivian law, he said, the senators who were barred from entering the legislature “had all the right to enter the senate and meet with whomever they wanted.”

Supporters of Morales remained skeptical of Añez, accusing her and the opposition of having staged a coup.

“We want Morales to return,” said one protester, Graciela Argollo, a radio station worker from Cochabamba, Morales’ stronghold. “Añez must resign. She’s not with the farmers and poor people.”

Añez declared herself interim leader of Bolivia’s government before a special session of the legislature Tuesday night. She had been next in line of succession after the resignation of Morales and a series of high-ranking officials Sunday.

Añez has said she intends to stay in power only until new elections can be held, in 90 days.

But the session at which she claimed power was boycotted by supporters of Morales, who hold a majority. In Mexico City, Morales told reporters that Añez’s government was unconstitutional because the legislature had not approved his resignation.

Morales said he would return to Bolivia “if the people ask me to return to pacify” it, but he also said he was willing to bow out if it would unite the country and end the violence.

“Without Evo if they want, but without violence, because that isn’t the solution,” he said. “But it doesn’t depend just on Evo.”

Morales also offered a defense of his record, citing the rise from poverty made by many members of Bolivia’s long-repressed indigenous communities. He listed economic statistics to prove his success, down to the miles of roads that were paved under his presidency.

“Continuity is important for the economic development of the country,” he said.

Bolivia’s political crisis and widespread protests were set off by the recent election in which Morales, 60, declared victory in his quest for a fourth term.

His grip on power swiftly eroded amid accusations that the vote had been rigged. The Organisation of American States, which monitored the elections, said that the Oct. 20 vote was marred by irregularities and that it could not validate Morales’ claim of victory.

As the protests went on, some police units defected and joined the protests, and military officials called on Morales to resign.

A former media executive and conservative legislator, Añez quickly gained the support of the Bolivian army’s high command, who visited her Tuesday for a planning meeting at the government palace. Her backers released photos of members of the high command saluting her.

The new government was welcomed enthusiastically by crowds in Santa Cruz, a longtime center of dissent against Morales, and other localities, though it appeared that few people know much about Añez, who had served in an obscure legislative post.

“I can’t say that I like her or not,” Victor Pusari, the son of an apartment building porter, who was guarding the entrance of his central La Paz building, said Wednesday. “But we need a leader, someone to be in charge.”

Anez swore in an 11-member Cabinet on Wednesday evening in a ceremony at the government palace, in which she promised “an inclusive government.”

The Cabinet included three women but no indigenous people. Perhaps the most important member will be the new economy minister, Jose Luis Parada, an energy specialist, who will be responsible for reviving an economy weakened low natural gas prices and by recent road blockages and violent protests.

Looting and clashes between police and demonstrators across the country have left at least eight dead in recent weeks, according to Bolivian news reports.

On Wednesday, Morales supporters descended on La Paz for a third day in a row from El Alto, a nearby mountain city with a heavily indigenous population.

Chaos gripped the downtown as protesters set bonfires in the street and police launched tear gas at groups of demonstrators. A mix of tear gas and smoke made the air difficult to breathe. Stores were shut, and hotel employees handed out vinegar-drenched rags for guests who had been gassed.

Some Bolivians said they were prepared to back the interim government.

“When they come, we’re here to defend,” said Jarameel Armas, a university student who joined police at a barricade of corrugated metal and heavy chains, referring to Morales supporters. “We will defend the new government and the democracy we have won.”

© 2019 New York Times News Service