On Friday, Bolivian media reported that law enforcement officers took to the streets and protested with demonstrators in the capital of Sucre and the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. President Evo Morales convened an emergency meeting following the reports.
"The Bolivian government, in light of the events that took place on November 8-9, are calling on the police forces to engage in an immediate and open dialogue with the aim to make equal pay and a 100 percent pension increase a reality," the government Tweeted.
After weeks of protest and strike following the 2020 elections, last night the police in several cities in #Bolivia declared themselves in #mutiny. I took this video at the police Comando in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, where people gathered to wait for the declaration. This is it: pic.twitter.com/MWaIiWs1eh
— Marie Theresa (@SraThrsa) November 9, 2019
The government called on a peaceful solution to the crisis.
The unrest in Bolivia erupted in the wake of the 20 October presidential election. The electoral authorities said that Morales had secured a new term in the first round, while his rival Carlos Mesa refused to recognize the results of the vote.
The opposition claimed that there were irregularities in the vote-counting process, while Morales accused it of trying to overthrow him.
