![Opponents of Morales have branded the result of the presidential elections a fraud, citing alleged irregularities in the vote count [File: Martin Alipaz/EPA].](https://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/imagecache/mbdxxlarge/mritems/Images/2019/11/5/abf6d60c42614eae8b689655943ff018_18.jpg)
LA PAZ, Nov 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A helicopter carrying Bolivia’s President Evo Morales made an emergency landing on Monday due to a mechanical problem, the military said, raising suspicions among his supporters after opponents promised to remove him.
No one was hurt in the incident, the air force said, but the incident fuelled tensions in the country where protesters have been rallying against the president for two weeks following his disputed re-election.
The mechanical glitch happened as the helicopter was taking off from a village in the Andes where Morales had been inaugurating a new road, it said. Video of the incident circulated on social media.
“Brothers, today, after opening the road in Colquiri, we had an incident with the helicopter that will be properly investigated,” Morales tweeted later after resuming work at government headquarters.
The air force said it was investigating the causes of the fault.
The EC-145 helicopter “had a mechanical fault in the tail rotor during take-off, which prompted an emergency landing,” the Bolivian Air Force said in a statement.
On Saturday, opposition leader in the eastern Santa Cruz region, Luis Fernando Camacho, threatened to “take decisive action” on Monday night to drive Morales from power.
Former interior minister Hugo Moldiz in a Twitter message branded the helicopter incident “a criminal attack.”
Morales has accused his opponents of plotting a coup against him.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a staunch ally of Morales, tweeted his “deep solidarity and support for our Indian chief of the south, who has emerged unscathed from an air crash.
“The immortal spirit of our ancestors and liberators protect you. A hug, Brother President!”
Deadly unrest has gripped Bolivia since Morales was named winner of an election on October 20 for a fourth term.
Interior Minister Carlos Romero said the government had “absolute trust” in the armed forces.
Backers of Bolivia’s president blocked the arrival of an opposition leader to the capital of La Paz on Tuesday and the government flew him back to his home city amid protests over the apparent reelection of President Evo Morales.
Supporters of Morales blocked Luis Fernando Camacho from leaving the La Paz airport, and Interior Minister Carlos Romero says Camacho was flown back to Santa Cruz “to protect his safety.”
Camacho had traveled to La Paz, saying he hoped to get Morales to sign a letter of resignation — something the president has rejected.
Camacho has been leading protests in Santa Cruz, the country’s most populous city, demanding Morales step aside following a disputed Oct. 20 election. Opponents challenge an official count that showed Morales winning with 47% of the vote and a margin of just over 10 percentage points over his nearest competitor — enough to avoid the need for a runoff against a united opposition.
Other opposition figures are merely demanding a runoff. But both complain that Morales ignored a constitutional ban on another term — he has already served 14 years — and was allowed on the ballot due to a ruling by what they consider to be a biased supreme court.
Both opposition factions also have rejected the terms of an ongoing OAS audit of the results agreed upon with the government.
The eastern city of Santa Cruz has been a hotbed of resistance to Morales, and much of the city has been largely shut down by a general strike for two weeks, with enormous crowds appearing at evening protest rallies. In the northeast city of Beni, clashes between opposing sides Monday night left 10 people injured.
The Armed Forces issued a statement Monday saying that it is keeping watch to maintain democracy and “the unity of the people.” Opposition legislator Wilson Santa María has accused the government of trying to “buy the loyalty” of the military and the police in exchange for what he called “bonuses”.
Bolivian authorities say at least two people have been killed in clashes between supporters and opponents of President Evo Morales over the disputed presidential election. — NNN-AGENCIES
