Bolivian President Evo Morales unexpectedly announced his resignation on Sunday amid mounting controversy over his claim to have won a fourth term in a hotly disputed election last month.

The unexpected move came during a day of fast-moving political developments in the South American nation, which has been rocked by deadly protests since voting took place on Oct. 20, The Associated Press reported.

Little more than an hour before Morales’ announcement, Bolivia’s military chief, Gen. Williams Kaliman, appeared on national television and publicly called on him to quit and spare the country further turmoil.

Earlier in the day, Morales had agreed to hold a new election after a preliminary report by the Organization of American States cited a “heap of observed irregularities” during the voting.

That allegation led the head of Bolivia’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal, María Eugenia Choque, to announce she was stepping down.

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