Morales' victim of coup: Mexican president AMLO

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Sunday that former Bolivian leader EvoMoraleswas the "victimof acoup d'etat."

The leftist president, nicknamedAMLO, celebrated his first year in office with a speech to throngs of supporters in Mexico City.

While detailing budget and tax policies, and the ongoing fight against corruption, Lopez Obrador touched on Mexico's foreign policy by recalling his government's decision to acceptMoralesas an asylum seeker.

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"Evo was thevictimof acoup d'etat! And from Mexico, we tell the world, 'Yes to democracy, no to militarism!'"AMLOsaidduringthe rally in the central Plaza del Zocalo.

The square was packed with people, and musical groups performed alongsideAMLO's speech.

It also marked the first time that Lopez Obrador, who has been in office for a year, spoke directly about the circumstances that led toMorales's departure from Bolivia.

Moralesresigned on November 10 amid swelling protests over what political opponents said was his rigging of October 20 elections.

He fled to Mexico the following day after losing the support of the military and police, claiming to be thevictimof acoup.

While echoingMorales's claim Sunday,AMLOcalled the exiled leader "our brother, who represents with dignity the majority of indigenous people of Bolivia."

Moraleshas yet to meet publicly with Lopez Obrador. He was welcomed on arrival to Mexico by Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard.

Lopez Obrador's one-year anniversary was marred by a shootout Saturday afternoon near the US border between suspected drug traffickers and police, leaving 20 dead.

Police reported earlier that 21 people had been killed but subsequently corrected the number.

Shooting continued into early Sunday, and authorities said that four of those killed were police, 14 were suspected criminals and another three bodies were unidentified.

The shootout comes after Lopez Obrador warned he would not allow the US to conduct cross-border armed operations against drug cartels in the country.