Bolivia: Opposition lawmaker assumes presidential post

By Santiago Serna Duque with the Anadolu Agency Spanish wire

BOLIVIA (AA) - Bolivian opposition lawmaker and the second vice president of the country's senate, Jeanine Anez, announced she would assume the presidency on Monday after the resignation of former President Evo Morales and his vice president, Alvaro Garcia.

Speaking to a local news program on Sunday, Anez said she would take up office because Adriana Salvatierra, the president of the Senate; Ruben Medinaceli, first vice president of the chamber and Victor Borda, president of the Chamber of Deputies, also presented their respective resignations.

"That would be the constitutional succession, as established by the Constitution, given that the president of the Chamber of Deputies has also resigned," she explained.

She stressed that her government would be of transitory nature with a goal to call new elections.

"I have to comply with the country, it's about calling for new elections, it's just a transition stage," she added.

Anez, a member of the Democratic Union Party, is known for her anti-Morales politics and has served for 10 years as an opposition lawmaker.

Presidential polls were held in Bolivia on Oct. 20 and Morales obtained 47.8% of the vote, securing victory in the first round. However, the opposition claimed that there had been election fraud, and some parties urged supporters to take to the streets.

After the opposition called for a canceling of the polls, Morales announced there would be new elections, but opposition supporters said they would continue protests until an election without Morales was held.

On Sunday, Bolivian Army Chief Williams Kaliman called on Morales to step down in a nationwide address broadcast live.

Morales said he resigned and a "coup" had been carried out against him. He said he made the decision to prevent Opposition leader Luis Fernando, president of the right-wing Pro Santa Cruz Civic Committee, and Carlos Mesa, a former president of Bolivia, from issuing further instructions to their supporters to attack Bolivians.

*Beyza Binnur Donmez from Ankara contributed to the story