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The candidate for the Movement for Socialism (MAS), Luis Arce, managed to be elected president of Bolivia in the first round of this Sunday’s elections, according to projections. The left returns to power almost a year after the forced resignation of former President Evo Morales and a period of enormous political and social instability.
Arce, an economist and former minister chosen by Morales, obtained more than 52% of the votes, keeping a very comfortable distance of 20 points above his main opponent, the conservative Carlos Mesa. Arce’s victory exceeds expectations even for the game itself. Polls showed, in recent weeks, an increase in voting intentions in Mesa, which would require a second round.
The official results will only be known in a few days, according to the The countryBut the solidity of Arce’s advantage evidenced by the projections makes any other result than the victory of the MAS candidate highly unlikely. The vote counting period is being closely scrutinized. In last year’s elections, the detection of an alleged electoral fraud in favor of Morales sparked strong protests that culminated in the removal of the president.
As a sign that, this time, there is a clear attempt to clear the political environment, the interim president, Jeanine Añez, hailed Arce’s victory. “I congratulate the winners and ask them to govern with Bolivia and democracy in mind,” said Áñez, who presented a presidential candidacy but ended up backing down.
Arce’s first reaction also pointed to the pacification of the country, promising a “Government of national unity.” “We are going to work and lead our process of change, without hatred, learning and overcoming our mistakes as Movement for Socialism,” declared the president-elect.
From Buenos Aires, where he is in exile, Morales welcomed the victory of the MAS, although he expressed mistrust about the delay in the publication of the projections, the companies justified it with technical difficulties to present solid results. “Bolivia will return to the path of economic, political and social stability,” said the man who ruled Bolivia for 13 years.
One of the main questions is the possible return of Morales to Bolivia, if the return of the MAS to power is confirmed. The former president devalued what he said were “rumors” about his future and stated that “the priority is exclusively the recovery of democracy.”
Carlos Mesa, Arce’s main opponent, has not yet commented on the projections, preferring to wait for the official results.
The Organization of American States (OAS), which had an electoral observation mission on the ground, called on the population and political actors to “wait patiently” for the official results to be released. “The next few days will be crucial for the future of Bolivia and everyone must live up to this historic moment,” the organization added.
The conclusions of the OAS are eagerly awaited. It was this organization that released a controversial study that confirmed the suspicions of fraud in the vote count in the 2019 elections; subsequently, a large number of experts came to challenge the OAS statements.
Election day passed smoothly and without major incidents, despite sanitary measures to prevent the spread of covid-19.
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