A student was killed in Bolivian protests Wednesday amid increasing pressure on President Evo Morales to resign over opposition claims that he rigged his recent re-election.
The 20 year-old student died of injuries sustained in clashes between pro- and anti-government demonstrators in the central city of Cochabamba, a doctor at the local hospital told AFP. Some 20 other people were wounded in the fighting, some seriously, Ombudsman Nadia Cruz said.
The fatality brings to three the death toll in clashes following the controversial October 20 election that saw Morales, 60, win re-election in a first round of voting -- but only after a pause and an abrupt shift in the vote count in his favor, which his opponents have branded as fraudulent.
Morales, first elected president in 2006, is seeking to remain in power until 2025 after he took legal action to get around constitutional term limits.
He tweeted "deep regret" over the death Wednesday, and described the student as "an innocent victim of violence promoted by political groups that encourage racial hatred among Bolivian brothers."
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