EU calls for restraint in Bolivia

The EU's diplomatic chief urged "restraint and responsibility" in Bolivia where President Evo Morales resigned and called for new elections after the security forces withdrew their support.

Leftist leader Morales stepped down after three weeks of demonstrations over his disputed re-election, which Latin American observers said was marred by irregularities, sparking street celebrations but also leaving a power vacuum.

"I would like to express clearly our wish that all parties in the country exercise restraint and responsibility and lead the country peacefully and quietly to new elections, credible elections that can let the people of Bolivia express their democratic will," EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini told reporters as she arrived for talks with European foreign ministers in Brussels.

Morales, who became Bolivia's first indigenous president in 2006, gained a controversial fourth term when he was declared the winner of the October 20 presidential election by a narrow margin.

But the opposition cried foul and the Organization of American States carried out an audit of the election and on Sunday reported irregularities in just about every aspect that it examined.