MEXICO CITY, March 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Bolivia's Congress voted on Tuesday to reject President Carlos Mesa's resignation, expressing support for the embattled president.

    According to reports from La Paz, the administrative capital ofBolivia, Mesa told a late-night session of the legislature that "Iam willing to keep working with the Congress and I want Bolivians to support their president."

    Earlier Tuesday, several leaders of opposition parties also expressed their support for Mesa's presidency ahead of the vote.

    Mesa submitted his resignation to the Congress on Monday in theface of mass street protests and road blockades against the government and left lawmakers to decide his fate.

    The president decided to step down under pressure from trade unions and other civil groups that oppose the government's policy on natural gas.

    Bolivia is one of the largest producers of natural gas in LatinAmerica. Natural gas export is a sensitive issue in the country, causing social unrest and political crises.

    As the country does not have enough capacity to exploit and useits rich reserves of natural gas, the government favors cooperating with foreign investors. However, many social organizations are afraid that foreign companies will seize their mineral wealth with little benefit for the country.

    In October 2003, Mesa took office after former President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada was toppled by street demonstrations over a controversial plan for Bolivia's natural gas industry.

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