LA PAZ, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Bolivia's Jeanine Anez, leader of the interim government supported by the opposition, presented a bill to the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday that calls for new elections.
The bill also calls for the creation of a new Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) to oversee the process.
Anez, a conservative lawmaker, declared herself interim president after President Evo Morales and Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera resigned more than a week ago, following anti-government protests and a military coup.
The protests were sparked by Morales' re-election to a fourth term in the Oct. 20 elections, with the opposition refusing to accept the results issued by the existing TSE.
Interim Justice Minister Alvaro Coimbra said the bill submitted to lawmakers has "three main objectives," which were recommended by the Organization of American States and the European Union, namely, declaring the results of the Oct. 20 elections null and void, calling for new elections, and designating new members to the TSE.
The bill speeds up the usual procedure by calling for the members of the electoral body to be designated in a period of 15 days after the law is approved.
If the bill fails to win approval in the Legislative Assembly, where Morales' left-leaning Movement Towards Socialism party holds a majority, the interim government said it would resort to holding elections by decree.
Asked about that possibility, Eva Copa, president of the Senate, said the move would be unconstitutional.
"We cannot allow elections to be held by decree when the Legislative Assembly is functioning legally and legitimately," said Copa.
Morales is currently in Mexico, which granted him political asylum. His supporters continue to protest his ouster.
