Carlos Mesa, on the riots of the police in Bolivia: “They joined the defense of the po[CENSORED]r vote”

[Inkriql]

Bolivian presidential candidate Carlos Mesa spoke with the press after the decision of the Police to mutiny. “It is not a riot to overthrow Evo Morales. It's about not suppressing the people. The police joined the defense of the po[CENSORED]r vote, ”he said.

The opponent also referred to the role of the Armed Forces in saying that "they are not the president's armed arm"; He added: "I am sure that the Armed Forces are not willing to go outside to repress and kill."

“I want to make a vehement request of the MAS (official party) militants. The government intends to summon mass masses to arrive in La Paz and a confrontation takes place. I ask you not to lend yourself to violence, ”he said.

Then he emphasized that the protests are a victory for the people. “What is happening now is the triumph of people in the street. My request is for them not to respond to provocation, so that they do not enter the game of violence. We are democratically winning this crusade for the defense of the vote. It is about the defense of the vote as a way of democratic exit that the country deserves. We are triumphing in the recovery of democracy, ”he concluded.

For his part, Luis Fernando Camacho, president of the Civic Committee of Santa Cruz; He showed up with Nelson Condori, indigenous leader of Los Ayllus. Both agreed that the country must be united in these moments of political tension. “East and west united by a cause. We need to create a new brotherhood Bolivia, ”Camacho said.

He added: “We need to grow as a nation. May the people take power and not a single man. We want President Evo Morales to leave. We are united, Bolivia is not divided. ”

This Saturday, a large group of Bolivian police officers, members of the security cordon in the Casa Grande del Pueblo, the new headquarters of the Presidency of the country, decided to mutiny and abandoned their positions.

"It is mutiny, it is not quartered," said one of the uniformed men, as he retreated, as part of a column, to the units of the Tactical Unit of Police Operations (UTOP).

According to the witnesses of the newspaper El Debe, the security cords in the accesses to the Casa Grande del Pueblo have been “almost unguarded” and “at the mercy of the po[CENSORED]r mobilizations” that demand the resignation of the country's president, Evo Morales.

Young people who mounted vigils throughout the night thanked the members of the institution of order for the decision, considering that they join their struggle to "recover democracy."

Last night, Evo Morales' Minister of Defense, Javier Zavaleta, ruled out military operations in the streets, while Government Minister Carlos Romero advocated a dialogue to solve the riot that is spreading throughout the country.

The revolt of the Police in much of Bolivia unleashed this Friday the worst crisis in the more than thirteen years of Evo Morales in power, leaving the president increasingly cornered in the face of attempts to resign.