Statement from the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS)

November 12, 2019

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]aced with a media siege that challenges the truth in our country, the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) sends this communiqué to the Bolivian people and the international community that since November 10, 2019, a plan of assassination by the Mobile Police Unit for Rural Areas (UMOPAR) and the Bolivian Police was activated in the hard phase of the coup d’état against our leaders Evo Morales and Álvaro García, which is why the Mexican government’s offer of asylum was accepted.

During the entire day of November 11, the coup plotters put the lives of our leaders Evo and Álvaro at serious risk, first with public threats from police to proceed with operations to stop them and then with the closure of our air space, through administrative obstacles of the Bolivian Air Force, preventing the entry of the Mexican airplane that came to pick them up.

The Bolivian people are living terrible moments, with policemen and motorcyclists creating panic in the streets and with the military high command deciding to attack the people in the name of pacification, even preventing personalities, church and politicians from finding constitutional and democratic solutions to the crisis we are facing.

The Military is in the streets, shooting from helicopters in Cochabamba, mobilizing tanks, troops and weapons in La Paz to annihilate our people just for resisting the injustice and outrage, racism, violence and the infamous strategy of preventing our leaders from continuing to lead the country.

The coup d’état was a construction of several steps, first installing the idea of electoral fraud to generate questions in the streets, denying our victory, and using the OAS audit report, distorting its content, when it categorically speaks of irregularities and not fraud; then asking for the nullification of the elections, then the resignation of our leaders, and to finally concretize their strategy with the police mutiny, articulating the anti-democratic plan, installing a regime of terror, with threats and persecution.

They are trying the patience of our people, the resignation of our Brothers President and Vice President was not enough for them, but they are even trying to force a government out of the constitutional succession, by pretending that the 2nd Vice President of the Senate [who] leads the coup d’état becoming president of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly and automatically President of the State, when in strictly constitutional terms it is the President of the Senate, Adriana Salvatierra, who is responsible for assuming that transition.

In this line of irregular actions, the armed forces have implemented the betrayal of the Bolivian people, economically supported by the civilian Camacho, who, colluding with the aforementioned opponents, closed the circuit of the coup d’état.

Compatriots, not even the vileness and rage against our brothers Evo and Alvaro will achieve a look of sadness, repentance or sorrow, this new sacrifice of our leaders is to keep us united, strong and fighting for the people as we have always done…

Let us denounce the coup d’état, let us show the world that the hatred we are witnessing is only because with great dignity we empowered the Bolivian people.

Source: La Pupila Insomne, translation, Resumen Latinoamericano, North America bureau