Bolivia Postpones Elections Again Citing Coronavirus Risks

(Bloomberg) -- Bolivia suspended its presidential election for a second time, after the country suffered a spike in Covid-19 infections.

The first round of voting for president and congress is now scheduled for Oct. 18 rather than Sept. 6, the head of the electoral authority Salvador Romero said in a press conference Thursday. It had originally been meant to take place in May.

If no one wins in the round, a runoff will be held on Nov. 29.

“The election needs to best sanitary measures possible to protect the health of the Bolivian people,” Romero said.

Bolivia has been in political disarray since its October election gave a short-lived victory for socialist leader Evo Morales, who later resigned and fled the country amid fraud accusations and violent protests. Morales says he was the victim of a coup, and his ally and former finance Minister Luis Arce is one of the main contenders to win the upcoming vote.

President Jeanine Anez is also one of the three frontrunners, as is Carlos Mesa, who was Morales’ strongest opponent in last year’s vote.

The Andean country has had more than 60,000 confirmed cases of the disease, and earlier this month Anez and Central Bank chief Guillermo Aponte Reyes said they had tested positive for it.

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