ADVERTISEMENT

Two Killed in Bolivia’s Post-Election Riots as Violence Spreads

Two Killed in Bolivia’s Post-Election Riots as Violence Spreads

(Bloomberg) -- Two people died in clashes over the results of Bolivia’s Oct. 20 election in the latest episode of political violence that’s flared across South America.

The deaths occurred on Wednesday in the city of Montero, in Santa Cruz province, according to a government statement. Rival supporters have battled across the country in recent days, marking the nation’s worst violence in more than a decade.

The deadly confrontation marks an escalation of political protests in Bolivia and comes on the heels of violent demonstrations in Ecuador and Chile. Protesters are disputing an election tally that showed President Evo Morales got enough votes to win by a razor-thin margin a fourth term as president without a runoff. Opponents have alleged fraud and called for a second round.

Two Killed in Bolivia’s Post-Election Riots as Violence Spreads

Election monitors from the Organization of American States will present the results of their audit of the disputed Bolivian presidential vote within the next two weeks, OAS chief Luis Almagro said Wednesday, in a post on Twitter. Monitors will verify ballot papers, the way information was transmitted and the chain of custody of electoral materials, Almagro said.

The government says it will accept the audit as binding, and will hold a second round if the OAS produces evidence of fraud.

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

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net, Andrea Jaramillo, Matthew Malinowski

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.