Bolivians Elect The President And Parliament, The Favorites Are The Socialists
The election was originally scheduled for May, but was postponed several times due to the covid-19 pandemic. The favorite is the Minister of Economy of the former Morales government, Luis Arce, who is running for Morales's Movement for Socialism (LAG). But Arce probably won't get enough votes to win in the first round.
His biggest rival is centrist Carlos Mesa, who served in the presidency from 2003-2005 and was sent to the Civic Community (CC) Alliance election race. Lawyer Luis Fernando Camacho, a prominent figure in last year's protests against Morales, will probably finish third.
The vote was held because the opposition, followed by the Organization of American States (OAS), called the rigged results of last fall's elections rigged. According to the Central Election Commission, then-then President Morales won again, sparking protests that claimed more than 30 lives. Morales, who was in power for 14 years, eventually resigned and now lives in exile in Argentina.
To win the first round of the current election, one of the candidates would have to get over half of the vote, or at least 40 percent with at least a 10 percent lead over the second. A possible second round is planned for November 29.
The victory of the Socialists could pave the way for the return of former President Morales from exile to his homeland, where he faces charges of rebellion and terrorism. The former first Indian president of Bolivia claims that he was forced to resign by a coup organized by the right.
The Bolivian Electoral Commission announced at the last minute that it would not publish the preliminary results after the closure of the polls at 17:00 local time (23:00 CET), which further increased fears of new post-election violence. Morales called the election commission's statement "very worrying." Arce told local media this week that the only way his rival could win is to manipulate the results. The counting of votes according to the commission can take up to five days.
