La Paz, December 3 (RHC)-- Bolivia’s Chief of Staff of the de-facto government Jerjes Atala has announced that a new round of general elections to take place in March 2020.

"We are going to count from December 23rd.  From there, we will have four months until April 23 to conclude with the process,” Atala said, explaining that “within those 120 days the first round, and the second -- if there is one -- have to be carried out, as well as the final calculation and the issuing of the credentials to the elected lawmakers and senators."

He also recalled that the plurinational assembly has a period of 20 days to elect the Supreme Electoral Tribunal’s (TSE) new authorities.  "After the new TSE’s election, it would have to call for the general elections within 48 hours,” he added.

All legally constituted parties can participate in the elections, but people re-elected in the same position for two consecutive periods will not be able to run for the same position.

Self-proclaimed President Jeanine Añez promulgated the law of exceptional and transitional regime for the realization of new general elections, leaving the results of last October’s elections without effect and barring President Evo Morales from representing himself.   Añez’s new government is threatening Morales with life imprisonment if the returns to the country.

For its part, the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) has denounced that after the November 10th military coup perpetrated against the democratically elected president, the national police along with the armed forces violently repressed protesters who demonstrate to reject the coup, the transitional government and to demand the respect of the Constitution with the return of Evo Morales to power.