Bolivia suspends presidential election due to virus lockdown
Bolivia’s top electoral authority called for a new date for the country’s presidential election, saying the May 3 vote became unfeasible after the government mandated a two-week nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal said on Saturday it was suspending the electoral process for two weeks and called on political parties, the government and congress to select a new date for the vote.
The Andean country of 12 million went into lockdown on Sunday to stem the spread of the coronavirus as self-proclaimed President Jeanine Áñez ordered people to stay in their homes and only leave to buy essential goods or to see a doctor.
Áñez, who did not announce a new date for the election, took power two days after a violent coup forced President Evo Morales to resign on November 12.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemned the Áñez dictatorship for its role in at least 35 deaths while quashing protests in the month after the coup.
At: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-23/bolivia-suspends-presidential-election-due-to-virus-lockdown
Bolivian dictator Jeanine Áñez declares a national shelter-in-place order, while suspending presidential elections scheduled for May 3.
Her decree prolongs Bolivia's ongoing lack of constitutional democracy - which until the November 12 coup against President Evo Morales had been continuous since 1982.
