Increased US Hostility Toward Evo Morales Part of Interventionist Policy - Ex-London Mayor

LONDON (Sputnik) - The United States' growing hostility toward recently ousted Bolivian President Evo Morales is part of Washington's efforts to enhance intervention in Latin America, Ken Livingstone, a former mayor of London and the current president of the UK-based political organisation Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, said.

"The Trump administration has been stepping up intervention in Latin America, and this has included growing hostility to Morales in Bolivia. We need to say 'no' to any US intervention and support the work of Mexico and others to bring about peace", Livingstone said when asked how he would assess Washington's reaction to the events in Bolivia.

Asked about whether the current power vacuum in Bolivia could beget further violence against Morales' supporters, the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign president said that progressive forces from all over the world should stand with everyone under attack in the country, which includes the former president's supporters.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump welcomed Morales' resignation and said that it was a "significant moment for democracy in the Western Hemisphere", and a signal for other "illegitimate regimes".

A supporter of Bolivia's former President Evo Morales yells at a police officer, telling him to respect the nation's indigenous people in La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. Former President Evo Morales, who transformed Bolivia as its first indigenous president, flew to exile in Mexico on Tuesday after weeks of violent protests, leaving behind a confused power vacuum in the Andean nation. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

© Natacha Pisarenko

The unrest in Bolivia erupted in the wake of the presidential election on 20 October. The electoral authorities said that Morales had secured a fourth term in the first round, while the opposition refused to recognise the results, claiming fraud had occurred. Morales stepped down on Sunday after the national armed forces urged him to do so amid ongoing protests.

Morales earlier arrived in Mexico to take up political asylum but said he would return to Bolivia soon "with more strength and energy".