Bolivian Congress calls for vote of confidence in president

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

LA PAZ (AFP) — The Bolivian Congress voted Thursday to hold a national referendum within 90 days on the rule of President Evo Morales, his vice-president and nine regional governors, the senate said.

The move came just days after voters in the country's richest region, Santa Cruz, gave their backing for more autonomy from Morales' left-wing government in a referendum that posed a serious challenge to his two-year administration.

The president dismissed the vote as illegal, but has invited Santa Cruz's opposition governor and those from other departments seeking autonomy -- Tarija, Beni and Pando -- for talks next week in an effort to resolve their differences.

The national vote of confidence agreed Thursday was originally proposed by Morales, but his...