Ousted Bolivian President Evo Morales arrived in Mexico on Tuesday and thanked the nation for saving his life by giving him political asylum while vowing to remain in politics.
“I want to tell you we’re very appreciative, because the president of Mexico, the government and the people, they saved my life,” Morales, 60, said at a press conference.
“But I also want to say, brothers and sisters, that while I have life, I will remain in politics,” he said. “While I have life, I will continue to fight.”
Morales resigned Sunday under pressure from the Bolivian military and in the midst of weeks of violent protests over his controversial re-election last month.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador offered him political asylum Sunday.
Morales accused the Bolivian military of staging a coup against him and said he fled his country because he came to fear for his life and the lives of his family. He said protesters burned his sister’s home and threatened her family as well.
The first indigenous Bolivian to hold the office, Morales served for 14 years and was the longest-serving president in the Andean nation.
But his claim to victory in questionable Oct. 20 elections sparked violent protests amid accusations that the results were rigged and sparked a backlash from military leaders.
He left Bolivia aboard a Mexican military plane late Monday, landing in Paraguay before departing for Mexico four hours later, the Mexican news agency Milenio said.
