bolivias morales loses fourth term bid
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Bolivia's Morales loses fourth term bid

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice Bolivia's Morales loses fourth term bid

Bolivian President Evo Morales
La Paz - Arab Today

Bolivia's President Evo Morales has lost his bid to seek a fourth term, his first direct election defeat since taking office in 2006, according to official results.

Morales, 56, has been in power for a decade, thanks largely to support from indigenous groups and grassroots organizations in one of the Americas' poorest countries.

While refusing to concede until the very end, Morales has promised to respect the official results of Sunday's vote on a constitutional reform that would let him run for re-election to extend his time in office to 19 years. His current term ends in 2020.

With 99.72 percent of votes counted, electoral board president Katia Uriona said that 51.3 percent of voters cast "no" ballots in the referendum, against 48.7 percent voting "yes."
Morales had insisted on waiting for full results to come in from rural areas where he has strong support, and from abroad.

Opposition supporters burst into celebration in La Paz and in anti-Morales bastions such as Potosi and Santa Cruz.

- Opposition claim victory -

The official results were in line with exit polls published by private media.

"Today the country is divided. But it is only temporary," said political scientist Carlos Cordero. But the healing process would depend on Morales, his party and the opposition finding a way to work together, he added.

Opposition groups feared the government was preparing to manipulate the result.

Groups chanting "Fraud! Fraud! Fraud!" staged a sit-in outside the office in La Paz where votes were being counted late Monday.

However, the general mood across the country of 10 million was calm.

Observers from the Organization of American States urged all sides to accept the results when the electoral board publishes them.

Opposition figures celebrated their victory.
We have recovered democracy and the right to choose," said Samuel Doria Medina, whom Morales twice defeated in presidential elections.

Morales had said he was prepared to give up on a fourth term if voters rejected the bid.

"With my record, I can leave happily and go home content. I would love to be a sports trainer," the Spanish newspaper El Pais quoted him as saying.

- Economic growth, corruption -

In January, Morales became the longest-serving president since Bolivia's independence from Spain in 1825 -- rare in a country that has seen numerous military coups.

He is one of a generation of Latin American leftist leaders who champion "21st-century socialism."

Since first taking office, he has been strongly re-elected twice and overseen robust economic growth.

Bolivia's mineral and gas-rich economy has more than tripled in size during his decade in office.

But opponents accuse him of presiding over corruption and wasteful spending.

His popularity has suffered from allegations that he used his influence in favor of contracts for CAMC, a Chinese engineering company that employs his ex-girlfriend.

Morales's defeat could disrupt the remainder of his term and his Movement to Socialism (MAS) party, a grouping of unions and social movements, analysts say.

"These results will probably cause an internal struggle to replace him," analyst Andres Torres said.

"It could weaken the party and cause an implosion with serious problems for the MAS in the four years it has left in government."

But analysts at the Eurasia Group consultancy said Bolivia's relatively strong economy made it "unlikely" that the country would suffer instability in the short term.


Source :AFP

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

bolivias morales loses fourth term bid bolivias morales loses fourth term bid

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

bolivias morales loses fourth term bid bolivias morales loses fourth term bid

 



GMT 19:57 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Farm-fresh from Kerala to the UAE, in just one day

GMT 05:17 2024 Wednesday ,07 February

Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 10:08 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Microsoft to open 4 data centres

GMT 19:20 2017 Sunday ,12 November

Bapco: Saudi-Bahrain oil supplies resume

GMT 12:02 2017 Friday ,15 December

EU says 15,000 migrants to exit Libya in two months

GMT 08:31 2017 Wednesday ,01 November

Dina role in “The Flood” underlined her talent

GMT 05:04 2024 Tuesday ,06 February

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 14:26 2017 Thursday ,13 July

Athletics: Mo Farah 'sick' of doping allegations

GMT 13:09 2017 Thursday ,27 July

India is the toughest place in the world

GMT 11:45 2017 Sunday ,12 February

4 things to support your heart health

GMT 16:33 2015 Friday ,10 July

Paramount Pictures and AMC announce new deal

GMT 01:51 2014 Friday ,20 June

Boris, Blair and Iraq
 
 Emirates Voice Facebook,emirates voice facebook  Emirates Voice Twitter,emirates voice twitter Emirates Voice Rss,emirates voice rss  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

emiratesvoieen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen
emiratesvoice emiratesvoice emiratesvoice
emiratesvoice
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice