The 2019 Bolivian coup d'etat occurred on 10 November 2019 when the Bolivian armed forces, the National Police Force, opposition parties, and anti-government protesters overthrew Evo Morales' socialist MAS-IPSP government. The coup occurred amidst widespread protests against the government's rigging of the 20 October 2019 general election, which saw Morales win re-election. The coup resulted in Jeanine Anez becoming interim President.
Background[]
On 20 October 2019, a general election was held in Bolivia, with the incumbent MAS-IPSP leader Evo Morales running for re-election as President. He declared victory even before the rural areas' votes were tallied (although they were expected to vote in his favor); however, his lead was so narrow that a run-off election was due to be held. The next day, however, Morales suddenly surged past the 10-point margin for a runoff election, and this suspicious victory for Morales, several electoral irregularities, and Morales' nullification of the two-term limit for Presidents led to the public and the international community calling for an audit. On 6 November, the Bolivian opposition published a 190-page-long report accusing the government of committing electoral fraud, leading to widespread protests against Morales' government.
Coup[]
On 10 November, the Organization of American States released its audit of the election, revealing that there were many election irregularities. Soon, politicians of all parties called on Morales to step down, and army chief Williams Kaliman urged Morales to resign amid the protests; he also promised that the military would neutralize any groups which exhibited violence towards the protesters. Morales immediately resigned, followed by Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, President of the Senate Adriana Salvatierra, and President of the Chamber Victor Borda; at 8:20 PM, the Bolivian police under Commander Yuri Calderon arrested 38 members of the Plurinational Electoral Organ for their role in the fraud. That same evening, Vice President of the Senate Jeanine Anez announced that she would be assuming the presidency on a temporary basis from 11 November. Cuba, Venezuela, and Mexico condemned the coup, as did former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and former Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner; meanwhile, Brazil and Peru supported the coup, as did Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who described the events as part of a "democratic hurricane" in South America.