Tension rises in Bolivia with official marches and opposition strike after elections

Shortly thereafter, however, small official groups began to focus on places in La Paz to support the president.

For the riots, which were the biggest between last night and this morning, 27 people were arrested, said the Attorney General, Juan Lanchipa.

Waiting Holy Cross, traditional stronghold of the opposition, the The Civic Committee, which brings together civil society organizations and has been able to carry out the strongest demonstrations of opposition against the government of the last decade, has called for an indefinite strike from midnight to "avoid" that the president does not recognize the final result.

In addition, he called the blockade of roads to 18 (19 in Argentina) and, even before, groups of opponents began to gather in the streets to denounce the government for an alleged attempt to not recognize the final results, an accusation the ruling party members have already rejected.

But the guarantees offered by the government to society and to the international community have not allowed to put an end to the allegations of fraud emanating from popular sectors supporting the main opposition candidate, Carlos Mesa.

In Tarija, university students Misael Saracho, they pushed the Civic Committee to cry "indefinite unemployment" and even threatened the civic president, Carlos Davila, being an ally of the ruling party, according to the newspaper El Dut.

After this irruption, tThe students, as well as the city authorities, informed the press that they would submit to the national strike launched by the opposition of Santa Cruz.

Meanwhile, in Cochabamba, the first demonstrations began to invade the streets of downtown, calling for electoral transparency and respect for the results of the last review.

Last night, the ruling party's celebration of provisional results of the rapid count triggered a wave of protests in the country's major cities since the last scrutiny, as it was preparing, which foresaw a different outcome, including a next vote.

The demonstrations of this first night of demonstrations have had several institutional consequences today.

In PotosíThe Bolivian police command dismissed Potosí department commander Colonel Williams Villa for failing to control the protests that erupted near the county 's electoral court in that region, according to the Fides news agency.

In ChuquisacaIn addition, the member of the county electoral court, Olga Martínez Vargas, resigned and member Gunar Vargas told a local radio station that he "went into hiding" to protect his personal safety, reported La Razón newspaper.