Nicaraguan government denounces "coup" in Bolivia - statement

The Nicaraguan government on Sunday issued a statement denouncing what it called a "coup" in Bolivia after the South American country's president, Evo Morales, stepped down amid protests over a disputed election.

"The Government of Nicaragua ... denounces and strongly condemns the coup d'etat that was realized today," the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, a veteran leftist, said in a statement.

"We express our rejection and repudiation of fascist practices that ignore the constitution, laws, and institutionalism that govern the democratic life of nations."