Bolivia Rejects US Threats of International Intervention: Pary

Threats and international intervention in Bolivian politics are not welcome, Foreign Minister Diego Pary said Monday, responding to U.S. ‘concerns’ over diplomacy in the South American country.

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"We do not accept the intervention of other countries to refer to issues that are of interest to Bolivians,” said the Foreign Minister during a press conference.

"Bolivia is an independent and sovereign State, all its actions are in accordance with its Constitution and its national norms. The framework agreement we have signed with the United States and Bolivia, clearly in its first article, which refers to the principles and purposes, says that both countries have a duty to refrain from intervening in internal affairs of other states," said Pary.

Earlier this week, in a statement, Deputy Spokesman, Robert Palladino, from the U.S. Department of State called for Bolivia to “respect” its constitution and the “will of the Bolivian people,” echoing concerns voiced by the European Union, pushing for a “fair and balanced” election.

Maja Kocijančič, spokesperson of the EU for Foreign Affairs, "The accusations and threats against judges of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal are not adequate for fair and balanced elections in view of the future elections in Bolivia.”

Pary countered, saying, “The Bolivian lawmakers and national authorities make their decisions within the framework of the legal boundaries and, in that sense, the decisions made by our national institutions are not debatable or dubious in any way.”

Earlier this week, in a statement, Deputy Spokesman, Robert Palladino, from the U.S. Department of State called for Bolivia to “respect” its constitution and the “will of the Bolivian people,” echoing concerns voiced by the European Union, pushing for a “fair and balanced” election.

From Twitter, President Evo Morales wrote, “Bolivia is a sovereign state and rejects any interference.”

Despite the TSE’s preliminary reservations, during an emergency meeting earlier this month, electoral officials gave Morales the green light to participate in the 2019 preliminaries.  Opposition groups claim the 2016 referendum on term limits, in which a majority of Bolivians rejected a possible 2019 run for Morales, should have barred Morales from running.

Anti-government protesters set fire to Bolivia’s Electoral Court in the department of Santa Cruz Tuesday night, destroying the three-story building as well as a state tax office, and a telecommunications building.