Bolivia: Army advises president to resign

ANKARA

The head of the Bolivian Armed Forces suggested on Sunday that President Evo Morales should resign in order to restore security in the country.

Army chief Williams Kaliman's televised statement came hours after nationalist Morales called for a new election to address allegations of irregularities.

The government has denounced the "attempted coup" to oust Morales after he won the Oct. 20 re-election.

In an interview with the Telesur TV Channel, Morales refused to resign.

He also condemned the opposition party for rejecting "the results obtained in the elections".

"Now they do not accept the decisions of the OAS [Organization for the American States], I made a call to dialogue and they didn't accept it either," Morales said.

Weeks of anti-government protests and political unrest has been challenging the reign of the leftist leader who has ruled the South American nation for more than a decade.

"I have decided to renew all the members of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal and call for new elections," said Morales earlier in the day.

He also urged people to exercise calm and patience.

"We all have an obligation to make Bolivia peaceful," Morales said.

If Morales is re-elected, this will be his fourth consecutive term in the office.