After violent incidents in the night, Bolivia was preparing, Tuesday, October 22, to live another day of tension, exacerbated by the latest election results that give outgoing president Evo Morales winner in the first round, in an unexplained reversal denounced by his opponent and observers.
A call for an indefinite strike from Tuesday noon was launched by Fernando Camacho, the president of the influential pro-Santa Cruz Committee. This civil society organization, founded in 1950, brings together representatives of neighborhoods, businesses, transport and entrepreneurs from the largest city of Bolivia.
>> To read: "Bolivian elections: facing Evo Morales, a torn opposition"
"Tomorrow, we start at 12 noon (4 pm GMT, Ed) to block this country," he said Monday in front of protesters.
On Monday evening, long lines had formed at service stations in anticipation of a protracted social conflict, while violent incidents broke out throughout Bolivia.
Incidents in several Bolivian cities
In Sucre, the constitutional capital, located in the South-East, and in Potosi, in the South-West, a crowd fired the county electoral court, while clashes with police occurred in La Paz and the Local government campaign was ransacked in Oruro, reported La Razon, Los Tiempos and AFP. "Fraud!", "Fraud!", "Fraud!" Could be heard in some of the videos posted online.
Incidents have also been reported in other cities, such as in Tarija, in the south, in Cochabamba in the center, and in Cobija, in the north, where police have dispersed protesters.
A consequence of the election results
These demonstrations took place after the electoral authorities, without any explanation, resumed Monday night the fast count of the voices interrupted the day before.
Monday at 9:00 pm (1:00 GMT Tuesday), the Bolivian Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) web page gave Evo Morales the lead, with 46.87% of the vote, widening the gap with his main opponent Carlos Mesa, at 36, 73%, according to 95.3% of the ballots counted. That's a difference of 10.14 percentage points.
To win in the first round, the leading candidate must obtain an absolute majority or at least 40% of the votes with 10 percentage points difference over the second.