Bolivia election: exit polls suggest thumping win for Evo Morales's party

[sandensea]

Exit polls suggest Evo Morales’s leftwing party has pulled off a stunning political comeback in Bolivia’s presidential election, although an official result has yet to emerge.

Two private surveys projected that Luis Arce, the candidate for Morales’s Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS), secured more than 50% of the vote in the ballot on Sunday, with his closest rival, the centrist former president Carlos Mesa, receiving about 30%.

Arce, a former finance minister under Morales, claimed victory in a late-night broadcast from La Paz. “We have reclaimed democracy and above all we have reclaimed hope,” said the 57-year-old UK-educated economist, widely known as Lucho.

Arce vowed to end the uncertainty that has plagued his bitterly divided nation since October 2019, when hotly disputed claims of vote rigging against his party resulted in mass street protests, the presidential election being scrapped and Morales being forced from the country by security forces in what his supporters call a racist, right-wing coup.

At: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/19/bolivia-election-exit-polls-suggest-thumping-win-evo-morales-party-luis-arce

Movement to Socialism (MAS) nominee Luis Arce celebrates last night's election victory with running mate David Choquehuanca (right) and other MAS officials.

Exit polls showed Arce winning by a landslide of over 20% over center-right opponent Carlos Mesa - well ahead of the 10% needed to avoid a runoff.

The election ends 11 months of dictatorial rule by self-appointed President Jeanine Áñez, who took power after former President Evo Morales was ousted in a right-wing coup.

Áñez, however, conceded last night.

“We do not yet have the official count, but the data we do have shows that Mr Arce [has] … won the election. I congratulate the winners and ask them to govern thinking of Bolivia and of democracy.”

[Laelth]

1. Excellent. This is good news. k&r n/t

-Laelth

[sandensea]

2. And good on Mrs. Anez (so far) for both allowing the election to go forward and conceding

There had been widespread doubts as to whether that would in fact happen - not as much on account of her personally, but because of the business interests behind her.

My guess is that Arce assured Elon Musk that Tesla's access to lithium would be largely unrestricted. He had to, or - as Musk put it - "we will coup you."