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Bolivians 'back new constitution' Bolivians 'back new constitution'
(about 1 hour later)
Exit polls suggest Bolivia has approved a new constitution backed by President Evo Morales that he says will empower the country's indigenous majority. Bolivian President Evo Morales has claimed victory in a referendum on a new constitution aimed at improving conditions for the indigenous majority.
Polls for some TV stations put the yes vote in the referendum at about 60%. Addressing supporters at the presidential palace, he said the result marked the birth of a new Bolivia.
Planned reforms include greater state control of natural resources, reductions in future land holdings and the creation of state assemblies. Exit polls for some TV stations put the yes vote at about 60%.
Mr Morales, an Aymara Indian, has pursued political reform but has met fierce resistance from some sectors. The new constitution gives autonomy to indigenous peoples and boosts state control of the economy, but is opposed by many of the traditional elite.
Many mixed-race people in the fertile eastern lowlands rejected the charter and four of Bolivia's nine provinces had a majority no vote, according to the exit polls.
Conservative leaders in one district accused President Morales of planning to impose a totalitarian regime, but he was undeterred.
Despite the yes vote, there is likely to be continued opposition to the constitution as it goes through parliament, says the BBC's Candace Piette in La Paz.
'New era'
"The Bolivian people have reiterated their commitment to democracy and to the democratic acts which are happening in peace today," said Mr Morales, an Aymara Indian.
Evo Morales has been trying to reform Bolivia since being elected
The Bolivian leader has followed his closest allies, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Ecuador's Rafael Correa, in rewriting their countries' constitutions to extend their rule, tackle inequalities and exert greater control over natural resources, observers say.
Support for Mr Morales was highest in the western highlands where Indians are a majority.
"Now is starting a new era in which indigenous people will be the citizens of this country. I think this is the most important part of this constitution," said Elisa Canqui, who represents one of the Indian communities in La Paz.
Opponents
Many Bolivians of European or mixed-race descent strongly oppose the constitution, but the head of an international monitoring team, Raul Lagos, said voting had been largely peaceful.
Opponents concentrated in Bolivia's eastern provinces, which hold rich gas deposits, argue that the new constitution would create two classes of citizenship - putting indigenous people ahead of others.Opponents concentrated in Bolivia's eastern provinces, which hold rich gas deposits, argue that the new constitution would create two classes of citizenship - putting indigenous people ahead of others.
The wrangling has spilled over into, at times, deadly violence. The original draft of the constitution was more radical but Mr Morales made concessions after violent protests against his rule, including a promise that he would not try to win a third term in 2014.
At least 30 peasant farmers were ambushed and killed on their way home from a pro-government rally in a northern region in September. Under pressure from wealthy ranchers, who feared their farms would be broken up and handed over to the poor, Mr Morales also revised the charter so that limits on land holdings will only apply to future land sales.
President Morales has said the new constitution will pave the way for correcting the historic inequalities of Bolivian society, where the economic elite is largely of European descent.
The new constitution will give the indigenous community a chance to have a greater say in what happens to their country's natural resources.
Crucial concessions
Bolivia's Congress approved the referendum in October but only after Mr Morales agreed to make a number of concessions.
Evo Morales has been trying to reform Bolivia since being electedCrucially, this included an agreement by Mr Morales to seek only one more five-year term. If re-elected, he would have to leave office in 2014.
The new constitution also includes a bill of rights, including a chapter dedicated to Bolivia's 36 indigenous peoples.
It increases state control over the economy, limits the size of big land holdings and redistributes revenues from the important gas fields in the east to poorer parts of the nation.
Indigenous people would be granted autonomy over their traditional lands and a "priority" share of the revenue from natural resources. But many of the areas where natural resources are found are governed by the opposition and would also be granted greater autonomy.
Analysts say it remains unclear how some of the constitution's articles can be reconciled.
Despite the Yes vote, there is likely to be continued opposition to the constitution as it goes through parliament, says the BBC's Candace Piette in La Paz.
The referendum will be followed by elections for president, vice-president and Congress in December.The referendum will be followed by elections for president, vice-president and Congress in December.