Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) sided with the embattled socialist leaders of Venezuela and Cuba, calling the resignation of Bolivia’s Evo Morales a “military coup.”
The controversial Minnesota Democrat made the statement on Sunday night, hours after Morales announced that he was stepping down as Bolivia’s president amid national unrest over an allegedly fixed election. Morales, who was swept to power in 2006 in the “pink wave” that saw communists and socialists take over control of several South and Central American nations, held an iron grip on power in Bolivia for 14 years.
Omar called the resignation a coup, and, ironically, claimed that the Bolivians deserve “free and fair elections” — something Morales’ opponents said was impossible while Morales was still in power.
There’s a word for the President of a country being pushed out by the military. It’s called a coup.
We must unequivocally oppose political violence in Bolivia. Bolivians deserve free and fair elections.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 11, 2019
Morales left office (and, presumably, Bolivia) on Sunday after weeks of violent unrest following a contentious election that the Organization of American States now says suffered from fatal irregularities. Morales, who was vying for a fourth term, called off counting votes just 24 hours after most Bolivians cast their ballots, apparently concerned that he would not win. – READ MORE