Evo Morales accepts political asylum granted by Mexico

Mexico City: Evo Morales, who had announced his resignation as Bolivian president a day earlier, on Monday (local time) accepted the political asylum offered by the Mexican government.

Quoting Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Xinhua news agency reported that Morales had called him on Monday to accept the asylum offer made by Mexico.

"The Mexican foreign ministry ... has decided to grant Evo Morales political asylum for humanitarian reasons, and by virtue of the urgent situation he faces in Bolivia, where his life and integrity are at risk," he said at a press conference here.

Morales on Sunday announced his resignation amid growing opposition after an international audit found that the results of last month's election could not be validated due to "serious irregularities."

Demonstrators and the Bolivian opposition had accused electoral authorities of manipulating the vote count in favour of Morales, the socialist leader who has reigned the country since a long time.

Morales was one of the longest-serving heads of state in Latin America, is Bolivia's first indigenous president. He won his first election with a campaign that promised a government focused on the needs of the country's poor but later he was accused of using the system to concentrate power.