Ebrard says that the OAS facilitated a coup in Bolivia 1:52
(CNN Spanish) -
The Foreign Minister of Mexico, Marcelo Ebrard, said this Friday that the Organization of American States (OAS) practically facilitated a coup in Bolivia and that the administration of its secretary general, Luis Almagro, is "one of the worst in history.
Ebrard referred to this in a press conference when asked about the role that international observers will play in this Sunday's elections, which have been classified as the largest in history by electoral authorities, since more will be at stake. of 21,000 elected positions at the local and state level and 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
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"Mexico has a policy in which we do not prohibit any international organization, let alone those of which we are part, to send its observers, as long as they comply with Mexican legislation, is what they were warned about," Ebrard explained.
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The OAS accepted an invitation from the National Electoral Institute of Mexico (INE) and began an electoral observation mission on May 26, the international body reported in a press release.
The OAS has sent electoral observation missions to the country since 2009, according to the statement.
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Criticisms of Almagro and the OAS
The Mexican Foreign Minister took advantage of his intervention and after answering the question said: "Now, of course, the performance of the current Secretary General of the OAS, Mr. Almagro, has been one of the worst in history."
According to Ebrard, Almagro "has acted repeatedly without consulting the member states, he acts as if he were autonomous, independent, or he assumes that he does not need to consult the member states, so that has been a recurring problem during his tenure."
Then he said that the OAS, under the official's direction, has had "very dubious and questionable actions to intervene in internal processes, as was the case in Bolivia, which was disgraceful because they practically facilitated a coup in a country with an uninterrupted democratic life in the last years".
Bolivia targets OAS Secretary General 3:52
Almagro did not comment publicly on Ebrard's statements and a message sent by CNN to the organization's press office seeking comment was not immediately returned on Friday.
The Bolivia case
In November 2019, then-Bolivian President Evo Morales resigned after an international OAS audit suggested that the results of the October 20 elections could not be ratified due to "serious irregularities."
The OAS assured that the alleged offenses, which included errors in the chain of custody of the ballots, alteration and falsification of electoral material, redirection of data to unauthorized servers and manipulation of data impacted the official vote count.
The electoral result plunged Bolivia into a political and social crisis that triggered violent episodes between protesters and the security forces.
Only between October and December 2019, at least 37 people died in these clashes, according to a report by the Bolivian Ombudsman's Office.
Morales was president of Bolivia for almost 14 years and, after resigning, he left the country on November 11, 2019. He returned on November 9, 2020, after spending almost a year in exile in Argentina and after Luis's victory at the polls. Arce, who currently rules the country.
Ebrard had already classified Morales's departure in November 2019 as a coup.
Bolivia Luis Almagro AEO