Bolivian Defense Minister Javier Eduardo Zavaleta Lopez Resigns Amid Ongoing Protests

Bolivian Defense Minister Javier Eduardo Zavaleta Lopez on Tuesday announced his resignation on the heels of former President Evo Morales as mass protests over the controversial October presidential election are shaking the country

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th November, 2019) Bolivian Defense Minister Javier Eduardo Zavaleta Lopez on Tuesday announced his resignation on the heels of former President Evo Morales as mass protests over the controversial October presidential election are shaking the country.

"Today, November 11, 2019, I resign as minister of defense," Zavaleta said in a video address, posted on Twitter by the ministry.

Morales had been the president of Bolivia since 2006, establishing himself as the country's first Indigenous leader and a beacon of the global left. In October, he ran for a fourth presidential term and won the first round of the vote, meaning that no runoff would follow. His key rival, Carlos Mesa, rejected the results. Soon after, protests erupted across the nation, and the Bolivian armed forces urged Morales to resign to sustain order and stability in the country. Morales stepped down on Sunday and left for Mexico, which granted him political asylum.