Following the 2019 Bolivian general election and the ensuing unrest, Morales compelled by the military and police, resigned and went into exile. Áñez was installed as president by a session of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly, the legitimacy of which was opposed by MAS due to its lack of quorum. The Plurinational Constitutional Court ruled that Áñez's appointment was constitutional. Responding to domestic unrest, Áñez issued a decree removing criminal liability for police and military in dealing with protesters; 36 pro-Morales protesters were subsequently killed by security forces. Áñez's government launched investigations into alleged corruption and misdemeanors by MAS politicians, terminated Bolivia's close links with the socialist governments of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and introduced measures to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. She contested the 2020 Bolivian general election for "JUNTOS" (Together), a large right-wing political alliance, but resigned her candidacy one month before the election. MAS candidate Luis Arce won the election and succeeded Áñez as president. In 2021, Áñez was arrested and charged with criminal offences related to the Senkata and Sacaba massacres, two massacres that took place during the first days of her presidency, a move which several international organisations labelled political persecution.