- Title: Bolivians take to the streets, bang on pots to protest Morales win
- Date: 26th October 2019
- Summary: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (OCTOBER 25, 2019) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS IN STREET (PROFANITY OVERHEARD) POLICE IN FOREGROUND, PROTESTERS BEHIND PROTESTER HOLDING SIGN READING (Spanish) "EVO LACKEY OF MADURO AND CASTRO" POLICE IN RIOT GEAR VARIOUS, PROTESTERS AROUND FIRE IN STREET, CHANTING, JUMPING VARIOUS, PROTESTERS CHANTING PROTESTER HOLDING SIGN READING (Spanish) "ELECTORAL FRAUD" PROTESTERS CHANTING BOLIVIAN PROTESTER, VIVIAN PANTOJA, BANGING ON POT, CHANTING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BOLIVIAN PROTESTER, VIVIAN PANTOJA, SAYING: "(We demand) respect for the citizens, for their right to vote. And, like on February 21 (constitutional referendum date) where it was clearly visible that the people didn't want him (President Morales) to be reelected, nor for him to run again for president, and I think that he should respect that. We don't want Bolivia to turn into Venezuela." VARIOUS, PEOPLE BANGING ON POTS, CHANTING AT PROTEST MEMBER OF CITIZEN COMMUNITY OPPOSITION PARTY, JOSE ANTONIO QUIROGA, AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEMBER OF CITIZEN COMMUNITY OPPOSITION PARTY, JOSE ANTONIO QUIROGA, SAYING: "Yesterday we presented documents to the Supreme Electoral Court; we haven't received any response. On the contrary, the final tally was rushed in that last percentage that remained in order to give MAS (President Morales' party) the advantage, which the Supreme Electoral court has decided to give Evo Morales as a birthday gift." VARIOUS, PEOPLE IN APARTMENT BUILDINGS AT THEIR WINDOWS, BANGING ON POTS WOMAN BANGING ON VEHICLE DOOR CARS ON STREET VARIOUS, PEOPLE BANGING ON POTS AND PANS IN PROTEST
- Embargoed: 9th November 2019 04:13
- Keywords: controversy Bolivia presidential audit election Bolivian President Evo Morales electoral board protests Supreme Electoral Court Carlos Mesa
- Location: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
- City: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
- Country: Bolivia
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001B2QG9XJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS NOTE: PROFANITY OVERHEARD IN SHOT 1
Bolivians blocked streets and banged on pots and pans from windows and rooftops in the capital La Paz on Friday (October 25), protesting a controversial election count handing President Evo Morales a fourth consecutive term that would extend his rule to nearly two decades.
After nightfall, Bolivians banged on pots and pans in a traditional form of protest. Earlier, roads were blocked and demonstrators surrounded the headquarters of the country's electoral board, guarded by rows of police in anti-riot gear.
Morales faced a fifth day of street protests in La Paz and other cities that began after an official quick count of votes was suddenly suspended on Sunday (October 20) when it revealed Morales heading to a riskier run-off election against rival Carlos Mesa.
A confident Morales said then his socialist party MAS would get an outright win as rural votes trickled in.
The tabulation of ballots at 100% on Friday confirmed his prediction, giving him a 10.57-point lead over Mesa, less than a point above what he needed to avoid a second-round vote.
Election monitors, the opposition and some foreign governments criticized the election for lacking transparency.
The European Union, the United States, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia called for Bolivia to convene a second-round vote to ease the unrest.
Morales, 59, who swept to power in 2006 as the country's first indigenous leader, hailed the official result of Sunday's vote as another historic triumph for his leftist movement and accused the opposition, without evidence, of trying to stage a coup d'etat with foreign backing.
(Production: Monica Machicao, Santiago Limachi, Herbert Villarraga, Sergio Limachi) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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