Janine Agnes
Acting Bolivian President Jeanine Agnes withdrew her candidacy from the upcoming October 18 presidential elections. Her video message was broadcast by local TV channels, TASS reports.
“Today I withdraw my candidacy for the presidency of Bolivia for the sake of protecting democracy,” she said. Agnes called on the country's right-wing forces to unite “against the socialist movement.”
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales announced his resignation on November 10, 2019 amid ongoing protests, after which he took refuge first in Mexico and then in Argentina. At the same time, he called the incident a coup and said that he was ready to return to the country. He was charged with terrorism and its financing. Bolivia's Justice Department has accused the fugitive ex-president of rape and human trafficking.
Riots in Bolivia began after the announcement of the results of the presidential elections, which took place on October 20. Morales won on them in the first round. His rival ex-president Carlos Mesa did not recognize the voting results. The authorities were accused of rigging the results.
Russia has recognized Senator Jeanine Agnes as the interim president of Bolivia. Moscow called the events that led to the resignation of Morales, equivalent to a coup, but considered what was happening as an internal affair of the country.
