Bolivia Death Toll Now Put At Almost Three Dozen

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. Nov. 21, 2019: The death toll in Bolivia has now climbed to almost three dozen according to reports from the Latin American nation.

The number of people killed in clashes with Bolivian security forces at a fuel plant near La Paz has risen to eight, an official said Wednesday, a day after the violent confrontations.

That takes to 32 the death toll from unrest that has rocked the Andean country since the October 20th presidential election.

The rising death toll comes as Bolivia’s interim government presented a bill on Wednesday that aims to forge a path to new elections and defuse the street violence.

The South American country’s two chambers of congress are expected to debate the election bill beginning on Thursday and possibly extending into Friday, which would annul the Oct. 20 poll and appoint a new electoral board within 15 days of its passage, paving the way for a new vote after long-term leftist leader Evo Morales resigned under pressure this month.

A date for new elections was not included in the proposal. The bill called for a “credible and professional” election body “in order to pacify the country and redirect democratic institutionality.”