MEXICO CITY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th November, 2019) Bolivian opposition leader and former president Carlos Mesa said that the responsibility for resolving the ongoing protests in the country lay on President Evo Morales, explaining his decision to decline accepting the president's invitation to a dialogue.
On Saturday, Morales called on Mesa to sit down and negotiate the restoration of peace in Bolivia.
"We cannot take upon ourselves someone else's responsibility and dialogue does not make sense [in this situation]. The president must make a decision," Mesa told the EFE news outlet in an interview.
According to the opposition leader, dialogue is not currently possible because Morales has accused Mesa of trying to instigate a coup.
"There is no government coup taking place. We are experiencing a national mobilization across the entire country which aims to ... restore democracy," Mesa said, adding that he hoped the protests would pressure Morales into declaring a second round of voting.
The unrest in Bolivia erupted in the wake of the October 20 presidential election. The electoral authorities said that Morales had secured a new term in the first round, while 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.
