Evo Morales suspends his campaign against fires …

Bolivian President Evo Morales has decided to suspend the election campaign amid the state of emergency due to forest fires affecting Chiquitania, in southeastern Bolivia. Opposition candidates Carlos Mesa and Oscar Ortiz joined the decision. Morales also said that he was willing to receive international badistance to overcome the severe environmental situation in the region.

"There are announcements of cooperation, we welcome the cooperation of international organizations, personalities or presidents.I leave the mission to contact you," said the current president at a conference of press. Morales, who will seek a fourth term on Oct. 20, has announced that he will suspend the election campaign for at least a week.

The president had received questions both for refusing to receive international fire support (which according to official data have already been devastated with close to one million hectares), as well as for the pursuit of the campaign in the middle of the emergency situation. "We will suspend the entire election campaign and we will all take care of all of Chiquitania, the entire Bolivian Amazon," said Morales, reacting to critics.

The main opposition candidates, Carlos Mesa and Oscar Ortiz, joined the temporary suspension of the presidential campaign. Former President Mesa said on Twitter that because of his "commitment to the environment and in full solidarity with the Chiquitos region", he had decided to "devote all the efforts of the campaign to support efforts to extinguish fires ".

Also via Twitter, Senator Oscar Ortiz, presidential candidate of the Bolivian alliance Dice No, announced that the party "will suspend its campaign and will put all resources at the disposal of the emergency of Chiquitania".

About international cooperation

Evo Morales explained to have received offers of badistance from Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, Chile and Spain. He also highlighted the economic support offered by the Andean Development Corporation, a regional development bank. "No one is banning voluntary and spontaneous cooperation," he said after indicating that he had instructed both the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Defense to take steps to carry out to this cooperation.

He also mentioned France's proposal to form an alliance to take charge of diversity in the Amazon. "I just spoke to the Chancellor so that work can begin immediately" at the initiative of President Emmanuel Macron, said Morales.

The Bolivian president insisted on the need for an urgent meeting of the countries that make up the organization of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (ACTO) in order to address the future of the country. 39; Amazon. Although he has already mentioned a meeting at the level of foreign ministers, he insisted this time on the need for a presidential summit.

Despite the complex environmental situation, Morales has highlighted the activity of the tanker Boeing Supertanker, which operates in the most critical areas for two days and has already carried out four operations in different areas of Chiquitania, operations deemed successful. by the authorities. citizens