UPDATE - Bolivia's president resigns after army's ‘suggestion’

ADDS QUOTES FROM EVO MORALES DURING TELEVISED ADDRESS, BOLIVIAN VICE PRESIDENT'S RESIGNATION, BACKGROUND

By Vakkas Dogantekin and Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) – Bolivian President Evo Morales resigned Sunday, shortly after the head of the country’s armed forces called on him to step down.

"I resign my post as president," Morales said in a televised address.

During his speech, he slammed the "capitalist system" and vowed to continue fighting for Bolivian democracy.

"This doesn't end here," he asserted.

Notably, Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera also resigned after the military’s intervention, which Morales referred to as a 'coup' against his elected government.

In a televised statement, Army Chief William Kaliman urged Morales to resign in order to restore security in the country.

Earlier in the day, Morales called for new elections to address allegations of voting irregularities.

Bolivia has been mired in political unrest following alleged irregularities in presidential elections held Oct. 20 in which international monitoring organizations claimed to have found manipulations of the voting system.

Carlos Mesa, leader of the main opposition Revolutionary Left Front party, said he would not recognize Morales' victory, claiming there was "fraud" in the vote count.

Morales has been president since 2006.