- Title: Bolivia's Carlos Mesa votes in presidential election
- Date: 20th October 2019
- Summary: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (OCTOBER 20, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** FORMER PRESIDENT AND SECOND PLACE CANDIDATE CARLOS MESA VOTING, PLACING BALLOT IN BOX, SIGNING DOCUMENTS AND LEAVING VOTING CENTRE
- Embargoed: 3rd November 2019 14:34
- Keywords: Bolivia Carlos Mesa election voting La Paz
- Location: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
- City: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
- Country: Bolivia
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001B1WIVK7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: LU SMART APP QUALITY. PLEASE MONITOR FOR FULL QUALITY UPDATE
Bolivia's former president Carlos Mesa voted on Sunday (October 20) in an election to decide whether to extend the rule of President Evo Morales to nearly two decades or oust the great survivor of South America's "pink tide" of leftist leaders.
Mesa, the leading opposition candidate, who resigned the presidency in 2005, has campaigned on a platform of saving Bolivia's democracy from Morales, whom he has portrayed as a power-hungry autocrat.
Morales, whose campaign slogan is "Secure Future," has fanned fears that Mesa would seek support from the International Monetary Fund, and warned about recent unrest in Ecuador and Argentina over unpopular loan deals with the IMF.
In his favour, Morales - a former union leader for coca growers - has overseen a long stretch of political and economic stability for Bolivia, a landlocked country of 11 million people that is the continent's poorest. But support for him has slipped amid slowing economic growth and concerns about government corruption and anti-democratic practices.
Others worry about his extended stay in power. Morales is running in defiance of term limits and despite a 2016 referendum in which Bolivians voted against him being allowed to seek a fourth consecutive term. A local court ruled in his favour to allow him to run anyway. As he did in the 2014 election, he has promised to retire after the five-year term is over.
Morales needs 40% of ballots and a 10-point lead to win outright on Sunday. Polls open at 8 a.m. (1200 GMT) and close eight hours later. The next president will govern from 2020-2025.
Despite growing disenchantment with Morales, support for the opposition will be divided among eight candidates, all of whom trail him by double digits in a recent poll by Viaciencia.
(Production: Monica Machicao, Guillermo Garcia) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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