Evo Morales disembarks in Mexico and promises to 'continue fight'

 Former Bolivian President Evo Morales landed on Tuesday (12) in Mexico, a country that granted him political asylum.

The military aircraft provided by the Mexican government landed around 11 am (local time) after making a technical stop in Paraguay and passing through Brazilian airspace.

Upon landing, Morales again said that he is the victim of a "coup d'état". "It is necessary to continue the struggle, and we are sure that the peoples of the world have the right to free themselves and put an end to oppression, but there are groups that do not respect life or the country," he said.

The former president also thanked Mexico for "saving his life." Morales had ruled Bolivia since January 2006, but resigned last Sunday after being pressured by unions, the Armed Forces and the police.

He was seeking a fourth term at the polls and was declared the winner of the October 20 presidential election, but opposition candidate Carlos Mesa did not recognize the result and took to the streets to protest. Mesa was soon overshadowed by popular Christian fundamentalist leader Luis Fernando Camacho, today the leading figure in the opposition.

The Organization of American States (OAS) pointed out irregularities in the election, and Morales even called a new election, but it was not enough to prevent his fall.

Besides him, they also resigned Vice-President Álvaro García and the Senate (Adriana Salvatierra) and House (Victor Borda) deputies, emptying the line of succession. Parliament will meet Tuesday to decide Morales' provisional successor, whose party, the Movement for Socialism (MAS), dominates two-thirds of the legislature.