One day after Bolivia’s first indigenous president, Evo Morales, stepped down from his post, the country lives a critical moment with several protests all over the main cities and armed troops on the streets.

Heading to Mexico, Morales got political asylum granted by the Mexican foreign secretary, Marcelo Ebrard, after a formal request, according to the secretary. Bolivia is currently without an official government since the whole team of the former president has officially resigned. 

Thus far, there is no confirmation whether the country will pass through new elections – and when – neither who will be the person in charge of this transition. Yesterday, the opposition politician and Senate second vice-president, Jeanine Añez, convened a legislative session for this Tuesday in order to formally accept Morales’ resignation and discuss the political future of the country. However, after several resignations, there’s no evidence that she will actually be able to conduct the session, since there’s growing insecurity in the capital and she has little political support. 

ALSO READ: The House of the Spirits: South America faces its ghosts

“It’s so hard to see Bolivians clashing, no matter which side they’re on. They are being mistreated, and I’m asking you to cease the violence,” said Añez after her arrival in Congress this Monday followed by heavy security. 

Morales resignation split opinions among the other South American countries. Argentina and Uruguay expressed their concerns with the rupture; as well as Cuba and Venezuela, with Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s president alleging the event was a coup d’état. Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, in an interview with local newspaper O Globo, said he did not consider Morales to have suffered a coup. For him, allegations of fraud in the elections led to the resignation.