ADVERTISEMENT

OAS Slams Bolivia’s Bungled Election and Calls for Second Round

Morales Declares Victory in Bolivia and Denounces ‘Coup’ Attempt

(Bloomberg) -- The Organization of American States slammed Bolivia’s electoral authority for its bungling of the presidential election, and called for a second round of voting in December.

“Every election should be governed by principles of certainty, legality, transparency, fairness, independence and impartiality,” Gerardo de Icaza, the director of the OAS’s electoral department, told a meeting of the group in Washington.

OAS monitors found that “various of these principles have been violated by distinct causes throughout the electoral process,” Icaza said.

With 97% of ballots counted, President Evo Morales had 46% versus 37% for his main rival, Carlos Mesa. If Morales wins by more than 10 percentage points, he avoids the need for a December run-off, which he might lose against a united opposition.

Given the narrow margin, and the widespread lack of confidence in the electoral process, Bolivia should hold a second round of voting in December, whatever the final tally, Icaza said.

Morales declared victory on Wednesday in the disputed vote, and said there is a coup plot by his opponents, with international support.

Morales’s margin has gradually widened as the final votes from rural areas are tallied.

“This is the fourth election we’ve won democratically,” Morales told reporters Wednesday. “I’m almost certain that with the votes from rural areas we’ll win in the first round.”

OAS Slams Bolivia’s Bungled Election and Calls for Second Round

The landlocked South American nation has seen mass demonstrations, violent clashes and arson attacks on public buildings, as rival supporters took the streets in major cities. Morales said the protests are a right-wing coup attempt with international support and called on his supporters to “defend democracy.”

The unrest in Bolivia comes after days of clashes in neighboring Chile, following a rise in metro fares, and more than a week of violence in Ecuador earlier in the month after the government increased fuel prices.

The opposition are accusing the government of fraud, after updates of a preliminary vote count were mysteriously suspended for 24 hours on Sunday night.

Icaza said it was “particularly alarming” that the vice president of the electoral authority, Antonion Costas resigned on Tuesday, citing as his reason the suspension of the publication of the preliminary results.

OAS Slams Bolivia’s Bungled Election and Calls for Second Round

The nation’s dollar bonds maturing in 2028 rose 0.3 cents 94.6 cents on the dollar.

Morales has presided over more than a decade of growth and falling poverty, but this election has been his closest to date. His respect for democracy was questioned after he ignored the result of a 2016 referendum, which would have restricted presidential term limits

To contact the reporter on this story: Matthew Bristow in Bogota at mbristow5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.