日批在线视频_内射毛片内射国产夫妻_亚洲三级小视频_在线观看亚洲大片短视频_女性向h片资源在线观看_亚洲最大网

Bolivian president quits during new protest wave
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-07 11:26

Bolivian President Carlos Mesa said on Sunday he is resigning after 17 months in office as a new wave of protests spread throughout the Andean nation of 8 million.

Mesa announced his decision on radio and television on Sunday night and said he will tender his resignation to Congress on Monday.

Bolivian President Carlos Mesa said March 6, 2005, he is resigning after 17 months in office as a new wave of protests spread throughout the Andean nation of 8 million. Mesa announced his decision on radio and television and said he will present his resignation formally to Congress on March 7. Mesa speaks at the palace of government in La Paz, Bolivia, in this May 19, 2004 file photo.[Reuters]

It was not immediately clear who would take over from Mesa, perhaps as an interim leader, or if elections would be called before the presidential term ends in 2007.

Mesa, a political independent, was vice-president when he took over in October 2003 after President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada fled the country during a bloody popular revolt that left about 80 people dead.

Polls showed the former TV journalists was popular, but his hands were tied by a Congress controlled by traditional parties and an increasingly organized indigenous majority whose leaders are prone to protests.

In January, Mesa was hit by protests on two fronts, sparked by a rise in fuel prices but extended to other issues. Poor Indians protested against a French-owned water utility, while the wealthiest province, Santa Cruz, called for autonomy. Mesa defused both protests by making important concessions.

But in the last week, protests flared again on several fronts and many of the main roads had been cut, hurting economic activity in the gas-rich nation.

Close

Today's Top News     Top World News
US-Japan security alliance should not include Taiwan         Market to have bigger say in yuan rate         Grain self-sufficiency still key for nation         Leading group to oversee energy sector         Heinz recalls its dye-fouled products         Italy rejects US version of Iraq shooting	Iraqis set opening for new parliament       Iran admits keeping nuclear program secret       Palestinians say Israel to hand over W.Bank city       Bolivian president quits during new protest wave       Hezbollah mobilizes supporters for Syria       Pakistan pledges to fight Uzbek terrorists