Presidential election in Bolivia: Luis Arce, the dolphin of Evo Morales, claims victory
Supporters of Luis Arce, candidate of the party of Evo Morales MAS, after the voting day in La Paz, October 19, 2020. REUTERS / Ueslei Marcelino
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
After a historic day of voting on Sunday, October 18, Bolivians went to bed in uncertainty.
To avoid tensions, the Electoral Tribunal decided not to release the partial results a year after the vote which led to the uprising of the population against President Evo Morales, whose MAS party was accused of fraud.
But an exit poll gives the dolphin of the former president winning in the first round.
Publicity
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With our special correspondent in La Paz,
Oriane Verdier
In the early evening, false
results
circulated on social networks announcing the
victory of MAS in the first round
.
In this atmosphere, the party of Evo Morales made an appointment with journalists in front of one of its offices in the historic center of the capital La Paz, but the tension quickly mounted.
“
We are the neighbors, we do not agree that they do what they want in our neighborhood.
They don't have the right to make this event, they wanted to put up a platform.
They want to show the world that they've won but that's not true,
”says the young woman who has tears in her eyes.
Her neighbor Alejandra also does not want to believe that everything she experienced last year, during the 21 days of uprising that pushed
Evo Morales
into exile, has served no purpose: “
In this area, we spent nights patrolling our homes in October.
We are afraid of a new social revolt which pushes us again to spend nights in the street to watch over our homes.
"
The police and the army end up taking over the premises.
José also has tears in his eyes, he has just been forced out of his own street.
“
It hurts a lot, it makes you angry.
Everyone should have the right to roam the streets, the police are beyond their remit.
This is not normal,
”he summarizes.
Uncertainty
In the small cobbled street, about sixty journalists remained several hours in the cold, accompanied by stray dogs and rows of riot police.
Finally, the MAS spokesperson announced his party's victory in the first round in a video interview.
An exit poll broadcast by the private channel Unitel gave the runner-up of Evo Morales, Luis Arce, winner in the first round with more than 52% of the vote.
Acting President Jeanine Áñez congratulated the MAS candidate.
However, it will take several days perhaps for these results to be officially confirmed.
► See also
: Day for the eradication of poverty: economic crises are increasing in Bolivia
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