More than six months after the controversial election which had sparked a violent social revolt and the departure of the head of state, Evo Morales, the Bolivians will therefore return to the polls. "On Sunday 3 May, citizens will vote to elect the presidency and the Legislative Assembly," said the president of the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE), Salvador Romero, on Friday.
Evo Morales refugee in Argentina
First indigenous president of Bolivia, Evo Morales resigned on November 10 after 14 years in power after being released by the police and the army, under pressure from opposition demonstrations which contested his re-election on October 20 for a fourth mandate. The unrest had left 35 people dead, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Since then, Bolivia has been headed by an interim president, right-wing senator Jeanine Añez.
An audit by the Organization of American States (OAS) confirmed irregularities in the ballot. The October 20 election was therefore canceled, the former members of the TSE who had awarded victory in the first round to Evo Morales were arrested and the resigning president took refuge in Mexico and then in Argentina. He will not be able to stand for election on May 3.
An heir to Morales as a favorite in polls
Among the possible candidates, the young peasant leader Andronico Rodriguez, considered as the political heir to Morales, is the favorite of the polls with 23% of the voting intentions, even if he still has to get the nomination of his party. Former centrist president Carlos Mesa is currently second in the polls with 21% of voting intentions. Right-wing regional leaders Luis Fernando Camacho and Marco Antonio Pumari, who played a key role in the fall of Evo Morales, follow far behind with 13% and 10% respectively.
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