Bolivians Vote Sunday for President, Polls Show Incumbent Evo Morales in Front

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Next Sunday, October 20th, Bolivia will hold presidential and vice-presidential elections, as well as elections for the renewal of legislative positions (senators and deputies).

The current president, Evo Morales, is running for a fourth consecutive term, with his re-election candidacy called into question by the opposition.

In February 2016, Morales lost a referendum on the possibility of re-election. The Bolivians voted “no” with 51.3 percent of the vote. However, a decision by the Constitutional Court in 2017 enabled Morales to continue running for re-election indefinitely, claiming that it is a human right to “elect and be elected.”

The opposition says Morales is disrespecting the vote and citizens’ wishes in the 2016 referendum.

Surveys

There are two strong candidates and opposing poles in Bolivia. On one side is Morales, from the leftist “Movimiento al Socialismo” party, who has been in power for 13 years. On the other side is former President Carlos Mesa of the conservative “Comunidad Ciudadana” party.

In addition, former senator Óscar Ortiz, and Chi Hyun Chung, a Korean-Bolivian evangelical pastor, are disputing the election

A survey by the Ipsos Institute points to a first-round victory for Morales, with approximately 40 percent of votes, compared to 22 percent for Mesa. If the vote were to go to a second round, Morales would get 47 percent of votes, according to the poll, compared to 39 percent for Mesa.

Another poll, conducted by the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, forecasts a tighter first round among candidates, with 32 percent for Evo and 27 percent for Mesa. In this case, voting would go to the second round.

Óscar Ortiz has approximately ten percent of votes and Chi Hyun Chung, six percent. The undecided are approximately eight percent of voters. Bolivia has never had second-round elections.

As of October 17th, candidates are no longer allowed to campaign.

Source: Agência Brasil