Bolivia to hold new presidential elections after previous ones were held three weeks ago and led to mass protests

Bolivian President Evo Morales has called for early general elections in the country, the Bolivian News Agency reports.

"I have decided to hold new elections so that Bolivians can democratically elect new authorities, including new political leaders," Morales said. He did not give a date for the new elections.

Morales also announced his intention to change the composition of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (the name of Bolivia's central electoral commission).

• The previous general elections in Bolivia were held on October 20. Evo Morales won 47% of the vote, while his main opponent Carlos Mesa won 36.5%. Morales' lead of more than 10 percentage points made it possible to avoid a second round of elections.
• Morales was suspected of falsifying the election results. Mass protests and riots began in Bolivia, resulting in at least three deaths . In several Bolivian cities, the police joined the protesters.
• On November 10, the Organization of American States (OAS), which was investigating the vote count in Bolivia's last general election, called for the first round to be cancelled and for a new date for voting to be set.
• Evo Morales has led Bolivia since 2006.