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Evo Morales agrees to new elections after irregularities found Evo Morales agrees to new elections after irregularities found
(about 1 hour later)
Bolivian president’s decision follows protests over disputed 20 October election resultBolivian president’s decision follows protests over disputed 20 October election result
Evo Morales, the Bolivian president, has agreed to hold new elections after a damning report from the Organization of American States (OAS) found serious irregularities in the 20 October election won by the leftist leader. The Bolivian president, Evo Morales, said he would call a new election after international monitors identified serious irregularities in the last vote and recommended a new ballot.
That Morales’s victory sparked widespread protests around the country. The announcement comes after weeks of unrest, over disputed election results, which escalated over the weekend as police forces joined anti-government protests, and the military said it would not “confront the people” who had taken to the streets.
According to the OAS report, the October vote should be annulled because of “clear manipulations” found in the voting system. In a televised news conference on Sunday, Morales told journalists he had decided to call new elections to “to preserve the new Bolivia, life and democracy”.
Morales, speaking at a press conference in La Paz, also said he would replace the country’s electoral body, which has come under heavy criticism after an unexplained halt to the vote count sparked widespread allegations of fraud, prompting the OAS audit. Morales, who has been Bolivia’s president for nearly 14 years, announced he would also replace members of the country’s election board. The body has been heavily criticised after an unexplained 24-hour halt in the vote count on 20 October, which showed a shift in favour of Morales when it resumed. The stoppage fed accusations of fraud and prompted an audit of the vote by the Organisation of American States.
Morales, who came to power in 2006 as Bolivia’s first indigenous leader, has defended his election win but said he would adhere to the findings of the OAS audit. But Morales, in announcing fresh elections, has not referred to the OAS’s recommendations, published just hours before.
The weeks-long standoff over the disputed election escalated over the weekend as police forces joined anti-government protests and the military said it would not “confront the people”. The preliminary report said it had found “clear manipulations” of the voting system and said it could not verify a first-round victory for Morales.
“The manipulations to the computer systems are of such magnitude that they must be deeply investigated by the Bolivian state to get to the bottom of and assign responsibility in this serious case,” the preliminary OAS report said. “The manipulations to the computer system are of such magnitude that they must be deeply investigated by the Bolivian state to get to the bottom of it and assign responsibility in this serious case,” it said.
“The first round of the elections held on 20 October must be annulled and the electoral process must begin again,” the OAS added. The report added that it was “statistically improbable that Morales had obtained the 10% difference to avoid a second round”. Morales had claimed victory before the final count with just enough votes to avoid a run-off, which some polls had indicated he could lose.
Voting should take place as soon as the necessary conditions are in place, including a newly composed electoral body, the OAS said. “The first round of the elections held on 20 Octobermust be annulled and the electoral process must begin again,” the OAS added in a separate statement.
he regional forum added that it was statistically “unlikely” that Morales had secured the 10 percentage point margin of victory needed for outright victory. Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous leader, and South America’s longest-standing contemporary leader, defended his election win but said he would respect the findings of the OAS audit.
Morales was declared the outright winner of the election with a lead of just over 10 points over his rival Carlos Mesa, enabling him to avoid a riskier second round run-off. He has decried a coup attempt backed by “violent groups” and the opposition to oust him from power and refused to resign amid mounting calls to step down. At least three people have died. The latest reported was a 20-year-old student last week. More than 300 people have been injured in clashes between anti-government protesters and Morales’ supporters since the controversial election.
The ensuing protests erupted after a nearly 24-hour halt of the vote count.