Confusion in Bolivia after presidential elections

With 83.76 percent, the first results gave 45.28 percent to the candidate and president, Evo Morales; while his opponent Carlos Mesa had 38.16 percent. With these results it was more than clear that Morales did not get the 10 differential points needed to be crowned president in the first round. Therefore, and for the first time in more than 30 years, Bolivia had to choose its president in a second round.

However, and according to valid computed votes, the balance favors opposition candidate Carlos Mesa who gets 50.35 percent, while Morales 34.01 percent. In this case, there would be no second round and Mesa would proclaim himself as president.

Evo Morales … President?

With the last newsletter known, Morales won the victory because through his Twitter account, he published "there are four consecutive elections we won", arguing that he trusted the missing votes, most of them from the rural part of the country.

Carlos Mesa denounces

The opposition candidate denounced that the corresponding body to deliver the votes was trying to manipulate the votes to avoid the second round. Through a video posted on Twitter, the opponent states that "We cannot accept that it is a question of manipulating an outcome … we will not accept that the vote that leads us to the second round is mocked."

Also read: Bolivia: from "we are presidents" to "Evo or no one"

In addition to Mesa, the observer mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) also requested an explanation before the interruption of the vote count to the electoral body.

If the trend continues, Morales and Mesa would face a second round, which would take place on December 15, 2019. Even so, and until the moment of writing the article the body competent to publish the votes, has not updated the information delivered more than 14 hours ago.

News in development