La Paz-Sana
Bolivian President Evo Morales announced his resignation today after a wave of protests over his re-election to a fourth three-week term.
"I resign as president," Morales, 60, was quoted by AFP as saying on television.
Morales had earlier decided to hold new presidential elections in the country against the backdrop of the protests and after the publication of a report of the Organization of American States on verifying the counting of votes in previous elections.
Bolivia's Supreme Electoral Tribunal formally announced on May 26 that Morales won a new presidential term with 47.08 percent of the vote, compared to 36.51 percent for his opponent Carlos Mesa, but the opposition refused to acknowledge it despite the confirmation by Supreme Electoral Court Judge Edelphonso Mamani of "full transparency of the electoral system in Bolivia ”.