Oct 31, 2020, 22:47 pm
On October 18, Bolivians went to the polls in their millions to elect a new president while attempting to draw a line under a tumultuous 12 months, even by Bolivia’s own dramatic standards. Luis Arce, the socialist party successor to ousted president Evo Morales, appears to have won the election outright in the first round of voting.
Arce’s victory is a bitter vindication for Morales, who was ousted from Bolivia's presidency in a US-backed military coup. He resigned and later fled the country.
So great was Arce's lead that Jeanine Áñez, Bolivia’s interim president, removed herself from contention in order to better consolidate opposition to Arce.
Under the country’s electoral rules, a candidate must win either 50 percent of the vote outright, or win 40 percent while no other candidate comes within 10 percent in order to avoid a runoff. According to exit polling, Arce did both: he received 52.4 percent of the vote, almost 20 points ahead of his nearest challenger.
The election of Luis Arce as president of Bolivia has been praised by Venezuelans, as Arce is also a political ally of President Nicolas Maduro.
Arce, an ex-minister of economy during the presidency of similarly socialist Evo Morales, embodies the comeback of the previous ruling camp to power.
Venezuelans praise Arce's electoral victory. Venezuelan officials regard the Bolivian vote result as a remarkable triumph against US meddling in Latin America.
Within the framework of its regime change policy, Washington has launched a variety of economic sanctions against Venezuela, including by confiscating oil assets and trying to provoke the nation's economic collapse and Maduro's fall.
Many people say that Venezuela and now Bolivia carry the flag of resistance against the purported US leverage in the Latin American region, as both have chosen the path of socialism and independence from US hegemony.
Luis Arce (center) with supporters.
![[Image: 57362d3f0687379a2a0525c8e15e1fdeaf113e51.jpg]](https://bayimg.com/57362d3f0687379a2a0525c8e15e1fdeaf113e51.jpg)
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I am assuming the China-Bolivia lithium deal is back on then.
Good for them.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/2...-president
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/10/19/bol...e-morales/
Arce’s victory is a bitter vindication for Morales, who was ousted from Bolivia's presidency in a US-backed military coup. He resigned and later fled the country.
So great was Arce's lead that Jeanine Áñez, Bolivia’s interim president, removed herself from contention in order to better consolidate opposition to Arce.
Under the country’s electoral rules, a candidate must win either 50 percent of the vote outright, or win 40 percent while no other candidate comes within 10 percent in order to avoid a runoff. According to exit polling, Arce did both: he received 52.4 percent of the vote, almost 20 points ahead of his nearest challenger.
The election of Luis Arce as president of Bolivia has been praised by Venezuelans, as Arce is also a political ally of President Nicolas Maduro.
Arce, an ex-minister of economy during the presidency of similarly socialist Evo Morales, embodies the comeback of the previous ruling camp to power.
Venezuelans praise Arce's electoral victory. Venezuelan officials regard the Bolivian vote result as a remarkable triumph against US meddling in Latin America.
Within the framework of its regime change policy, Washington has launched a variety of economic sanctions against Venezuela, including by confiscating oil assets and trying to provoke the nation's economic collapse and Maduro's fall.
Many people say that Venezuela and now Bolivia carry the flag of resistance against the purported US leverage in the Latin American region, as both have chosen the path of socialism and independence from US hegemony.
Luis Arce (center) with supporters.
----------------------------------------------------
I am assuming the China-Bolivia lithium deal is back on then.
Good for them.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/2...-president
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/10/19/bol...e-morales/