LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia's government says the Organization of American States is sending a 30-person team to audit a presidential election that the opposition says was rigged to ensure the re-election of leftist President Evo Morales.

Foreign Minister Diego Pary says the OAS team will arrive Wednesday or Thursday. He says Spain, Mexico and Paraguay also have been invited to participate.

Backers of former President Carlos Mesa say the vote count from the Oct. 20 election was manipulated to give Morales just over a 10 percentage point lead — the margin needed to avoid a runoff in which he would have faced a united opposition.

Mesa's backers have been staging protests ever since the vote, nearly shutting down some cities. They are demanding a runoff. Morales says the vote count was fair.