Bolivian government decries coup as some police join protests

  Police officers take part in a meeting inside a police station during a protest against Bolivia's President Evo Morales in La Paz, Bolivia. [Reuters]

The government of Bolivian President Evo Morales denounced what it called a coup by violent groups on Saturday, as some police forces carried out acts of “mutiny” in support of opposition protests amid a weeks-long standoff over a disputed election.

Morales, Latin America’s longest-standing leader, won the election on Oct. 20 but the vote count had been inexplicably halted for nearly a day, sparking allegations of fraud and leading to protests, strikes and road blocks.