LA PAZ: Hundreds of protesters took to the streets Monday in Bolivia to denounce alleged election fraud and call for an audit after the country’s new center-right president was announced.
Rodrigo Paz, a 58-year-old economist, won the second round of voting on Sunday with 54.5 percent of the votes against former right-wing president Jorge Quiroga.
Protesters shouted “fraud” and attempted to march on the square in La Paz where the president and parliamentary offices are located, before being dispersed by police without any reported clashes.
Quiroga conceded defeat and congratulated Paz while announcing the records would be verified in coming days in response to accusations of irregularities.
Several allegations circulated on social media but remain unproven.
Paz’s victory marked the end of 20 years of left-wing government in Bolivia, which is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in four decades.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal announced results on Sunday and its president Oscar Hassenteufel denied any possibility of irregularities on Monday, adding “the word fraud should be banned from Bolivia.”
Student Pablo Perez, 23, refuses to accept Quiroga’s defeat and told AFP “what is outrageous is that there was fraud and the vote was not respected.”
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Hundreds protest election of Bolivia’s new president
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Hundreds protest election of Bolivia’s new president
- Protesters shouted “fraud” and attempted to march on the square in La Paz where the president and parliamentary offices are located, before being dispersed by police without any reported clashes
Man charged after defacing Churchill statue in central London
Metropolitan Police said Caspar San Giorgio was charged early Saturday, some 24 hours after his arrest
He had been detained within minutes of officers being alerted to the incident
LONDON: London police said Saturday a man had been charged with criminal damage for defacing a statue of Britain’s World War II prime minister Winston Churchill with pro-Palestinian slogans.
The monument in the central Parliament Square was smeared with red paint early on Friday and “Zionist war criminal” among the slogans written on it.
The Metropolitan Police said Caspar San Giorgio, 38, of no fixed address, was charged early Saturday, some 24 hours after his arrest.
He had been detained within minutes of officers being alerted to the incident, according to the force.
He was due to appear at a London magistrates’ court later Saturday.
The words “free Palestine” and “stop the genocide” were also sprayed on the statue, which workers cleaned off Friday.
The incident prompted Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office to call the damage “completely abhorrent” and commend police for the swift arrest.
“Churchill was a great Briton,” a spokesman said.
The 3.6 meter (12-foot) Churchill statue has been vandalized a number of times in recent years, including during Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion climate demonstrations in 2020.
He had been detained within minutes of officers being alerted to the incident
LONDON: London police said Saturday a man had been charged with criminal damage for defacing a statue of Britain’s World War II prime minister Winston Churchill with pro-Palestinian slogans.
The monument in the central Parliament Square was smeared with red paint early on Friday and “Zionist war criminal” among the slogans written on it.
The Metropolitan Police said Caspar San Giorgio, 38, of no fixed address, was charged early Saturday, some 24 hours after his arrest.
He had been detained within minutes of officers being alerted to the incident, according to the force.
He was due to appear at a London magistrates’ court later Saturday.
The words “free Palestine” and “stop the genocide” were also sprayed on the statue, which workers cleaned off Friday.
The incident prompted Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office to call the damage “completely abhorrent” and commend police for the swift arrest.
“Churchill was a great Briton,” a spokesman said.
The 3.6 meter (12-foot) Churchill statue has been vandalized a number of times in recent years, including during Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion climate demonstrations in 2020.
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