Contested Elections in Bolivia as President Evo Morales Tries for a Fourth Term in Office

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On October 20, 2019, Bolivia held its general elections, including the presidential contest. According to the Bolivian Constitution, the winner in the first round must obtain 50% plus one of the valid votes, or 40% of the votes, with a margin of at least 10 percentage points over the second place candidate. While President Evo Morales won more than 40%, as the votes were counted on that Sunday, he seemed to lack the required 10% lead to secure a first-round victory over his main rival, Carlos Mesa. Then, voting was suspiciously suspended, and when it was restarted, he suddenly had the required margin. This led to immediate rioting to protest “manipulations” by Bolivia’s Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE) to arrange a first-round win for President Morales. Journalists around the region dissected the narrative and offered plenty of opinions.

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