2019 Bolivian political crisis

The 2019 Bolivian political crisis was a period of intense political upheaval and unrest in Bolivia that followed the disputed 2019 Bolivian general election, in which incumbent President Evo Morales was initially declared the winner. Morales had run for a controversial fourth term despite having recently lost a constitutional referendum to remove presidential term limits. His bid for reelection was enabled after the Supreme Court then struck down the term limits. The election and the results were heavily contested, with protests occurring across the country as the opposition and many sectors of society alleged that the vote count was manipulated to favor Morales.

Suspicions of fraud were first sparked by a sudden an unexplained 24-hour long halt in the vote count in the hours following the election. Morales then initially declared victory, but in the face of growing protests eventually proposed holding a runoff election. However, the military and the police of Bolivia, along with the Bolivian Workers' Center (COB), subsequently requested President Evo Morales to resign. He did, complaining that he was the victim of a coup. The government of Mexico offered him political asylum the following day, which he accepted. An audit of the election by the Organization of American States, requested by Morales before he fled the country, found widespread irregularities and evidence of manipulation in the voting records and recommended the election be annulled and held again. Protests continued and sometimes resulted in deaths; in several cases the security forces opened fire on protesters, most notably in Senkata Sacaba massacres.

Parliament voted to make opposition senator Jeanine Áñez acting president on 12 November. Although parliament did not have a quorum for the vote following a boycott by the former ruling party Movimiento al Socialismo, Bolivia's Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal endorsed Áñez's assumption of the presidency. Most of the MAS members then returned, with some assuming key positions such as Leader of the Senate. They also committed to working with the interim government towards new elections. The Bolivian Congress unanimously approved a bill on 23 November 2019 that annulled the results of the 20 October election, allowed for new elections, and prevented Evo Morales from participating in the new elections. The bill was signed into law the next day by president Áñez.

The year following the crisis saw continued political chaos and violent protests. Áñez's government began to harass Morales's supporters and charged him and some members of his party with sedition. Morales led the opposition from exile, calling for the Bolivian people to reject the new government. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Áñez repeatedly delayed holding new elections. Elections were finally held in October 2020, which were won by Luis Arce, Morales' former finance minister.