New Foreign Minister Karen Longaric said Cuba would fly home 725 of its citizens, mostly medical doctors, after she raised concerns about their alleged involvement in recent protests.

She had also asked all Venezuelan diplomats to leave for similar reasons.

The foreign policy shake-up in Bolivia comes as protests against the four-day-old government of conservative interim President Jeanine Anez roil the country amid its biggest political upheaval in over a decade.

Venezuela and Cuba were key allies for leftist Morales, who swept to office as the country's first indigenous president in 2006 and resigned under pressure on Sunday over a disputed October 20 election.

The vote gave him an outright win but was tarnished by allegations of fraud, sparking widespread anti-government protests that often turned violent.

Morales and his vice president fled the country earlier this week, and were given asylum in Mexico. But protests by Morales' supporters have continued in capital La Paz, nearby El Alto, and the central city of Cochabamba.

In a statement, Cuba's foreign ministry denied its doctors had supported any protests. Venezuela's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

Both countries have backed Morales' assertion that he was toppled in a foreign-backed coup.

Other countries in the region, including Brazil and Ecuador, have acted similarly against Cubans in recent months.

Police fired tear gas at protesters in La Paz on Friday, while schools remained closed and fuel deliveries were disrupted by road blocks.

Local media reports showed violent standoffs between coca farmers and police in the region of Cochabamba. Bolivia's official ombudsman said there had been at least four people killed in the region on Friday and put total deaths so far in the protests at 18.

Australian Associated Press