United States: Bolivian president wasn’t forced out by coup

By LUIS ALONSO LUGO and KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senior officials at the U.S. State Department say the situation in Bolivia is not a coup, despite what some Latin American governments have claimed. They allege that the constitutional order in the Andean country will not be broken once an interim president calls for elections within 90 days.

Bolivia’s first indigenous president Evo Morales resigned Sunday after weeks of protests following a disputed election.

The U.S. officials say the Bolivian military merely pointed out the fact that public security had deteriorated by the time they asked Morales to resign. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to talk to reporters.

President Donald Trump says the U.S. applauds the Bolivian people for demanding freedom and the Bolivian military for abiding by its oath to protect Bolivia’s constitution.