Mexico grants asylum to Bolivia's Evo Morales for humanitarian reasons

Evo Morales resigned amid massive protests and growing unrest over his fraud-stained re-election to a fourth term on October 20.

Mexico has said it has granted asylum to Bolivia's Evo Morales, after the leftist president's resignation left the South American nation reeling amid a power vacuum.

"Several minutes ago I received a phone call from (former) president Evo Morales in which he responded to our offer and verbally and formally requested political asylum in our country," Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told a news conference on Monday.

"The Mexican foreign ministry, after consulting Interior Minister Olga Sanchez Cordero, made the decision to grant him asylum... for humanitarian reasons." Morales's "life and physical integrity are at risk in Bolivia," added Ebrard, saying Mexico had