(Bloomberg) -- President Evo Morales called for a new presidential vote in Bolivia amid escalating unrest and after the Organization of American States said his re-election was marred by irregularities.

“We have the duty of pacifying Bolivia,” Morales told reporters in La Paz on Sunday morning.

Irregularities in the vote mean it’s statistically unlikely that Morales obtained a 10% lead to avoid a runoff, the OAS said in a report published on its website Sunday. The president had previously said he’d respect the results of the audit if it proved evidence of fraud.

Protests over the contested October vote have been growing, with police mutinying in several cities over the weekend.

To contact the reporter on this story: Walter Brandimarte in Brasilia at wbrandimarte@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net

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