Bolivia: More Morales for Four Years

The Bolivian General Elections took place this past Sunday, with president Evo Morales highly favoured to win a third consecutive term. The results will not officially be announced until 22 October, but exit polls show President Morales leading at around 60%, with his closest rival lagging far behind at 25%. Leaders of other South American Countries have already called to congratulate him on the ‘win.’

This was the second general election held since the 2009 constitutional reforms. For the first time the general election took place under the authority of the newly created Plurinational Election Organ, an independent branch of the government that replaced the National Election Court in 2010. Furthermore, the right to vote for Bolivians living abroad was expanded, with almost 275,000 eligible to vote in the election.

President Morales is the first Bolivian president to come from the country’s indigenous majority ethnic group, the Aymara. Under his administration the country has experienced tremendous economic growth, and this has helped to reduce poverty and inequality. A self-described leftist, Morales nationalized the energy industry in Bolivia when he came to power in 2006, and has expanded state control into other sectors as well. This combined with heavy investment in public works has contributed to a 25% drop in poverty as well as a 43% drop in extreme poverty.

Private investment is weak, however, and the nation is still one of Latin America’s poorest. Additionally, Morales has been criticized for failing to fight corruption and endorsing environmentally destructive policies.

Whether Morales is a force for good or bad in Bolivia, it looks like he will be around for a bit longer. Claiming victory, “President Morales told cheering supporters at the presidential palace in La Paz that ‘this win is a triumph for anti-imperialists and anti-colonialists,’” the BBC reported. “He dedicated "this triumph" to the Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and Venezuela's late president, Hugo Chavez.”

130 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 36 seats in the Senate were also voted on. Seats in the Chamber of Deputies will be awarded based on how the parties perform in the presidential election, and Senate seats are distributed proportionally among nine regions. These results will be announced by 22 October as well.

Ruth Hirsch