BOLIVIA-CAMPAIGN CLOSE Bolivian presidential candidates close out campaigns four days ahead of vote

Record ID: 347214

  • Title: BOLIVIA-CAMPAIGN CLOSE Bolivian presidential candidates close out campaigns four days ahead of vote
  • Date: 9th October 2014
  • Summary: INDIGENOUS BOLIVIANS DANCING TO CAMPAIGN SONG MORALES WORKING AUDIENCE VARIOUS OF MORALES AND MAS SUPPORTERS ACCOMPANIED BY VICE PRESIDENT ALVARO GARCIA LINERA
  • Embargoed: 24th October 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAPJ3R38RBFRLOMPL6XQMTD4VJ
  • Story Text: Leading presidential candidates in Bolivia attended final campaign rallies Wednesday (October 8) ahead of national elections scheduled for Sunday (October 12).
    Polls show President Evo Morales cruising to an outright first-round victory in the election, with his nearest rival trailing by roughly 50 percentage points, according to a poll released earlier this month.
    According to the Ipsos poll, Morales is projected to win 59 percent of the vote in the first round, unchanged from polls in July and August, against 13 percent for Samuel Doria Medina, running under the banner of the National Unity Front. Medina, a cement tycoon, was polling 17 percent in August.
    Morales, a former coca farmer who became Bolivia's first indigenous leader in 2006, promises to expand social reforms in the Andean nation, historically one of Latin America's most unstable but which has enjoyed relative prosperity and calm under his presidency.
    Critics of Morales accuse the leftist politician of defying the constitution adopted in 2009, which includes a limit of two consecutive presidential terms.
    Last year the Supreme Court decreed the 54-year-old's 2006-09 period in office should not be counted as a first term as it preceded the adoption of the constitution. Opponents branded the decision unacceptable.
    Morales addressed the internal divisions in his country while attending a rally in El Alto, located in the department of La Paz. The Western Bolivian department is a Morales stronghold, and is home to many indigenous Bolivians.
    While speaking at the rally, Morales expressed the desire to be a repairer of Bolivia's divisions.
    "We have dedicated this campaign more than anything to what's unfortunately known as the 'Media Luna,' [Half Moon] with my running mate [Vice President] Alvaro (Garcia Linera). But now I want to say to all, let you all know, Bolivia is united. Now it's time to stop dividing the country -- full moon, half moon. We are whole and one. We are all united," he said referring to the nickname of the four departments known for their opposition to Morales.
    Morales, however, went on to catalogue many of the accomplishments from his tenure in office that appealed to his left-leaning base.
    "Thank you, Bolivian people for taking up this fight. Thank you at all of you, to listening to and following your conscience. Now, without any U.S. ambassador, or U.S. bases, or the [US] DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration], we are better off politically, democratically, and we are definitely better off economically. This is our fight, the Bolivian people's fight," he said.
    To win outright in the first round, Morales needs to secure 50 percent of all valid votes plus one, or win 40 percent of the vote with a margin of at least 10 percentage points over his nearest rival.
    Hailed by supporters as a champion of the poor, Morales has nationalised key industries including hydrocarbons and utilities. Gross domestic product doubled between 2005 and 2011.
    But while campaigning in the opposition base in the eastern Bolivian department of Santa Cruz, National Unity Front candidate Samuel Doria Medina expressed concern over Morales's grip on power.
    "The election on October 12 is not just any other election. It's an election in which the future of Bolivia is at stake; the future of democracy, the future of all families and the future of all our children," he said.
    He also questioned the heavy role of the state in the Bolivian economy.
    "It's clear that over these almost nine years, (the government of Evo Morales) knows how to spend money. They have a plan to simply maintain power, to stay in power and occupy all positions of power. But they don't have a plan for development. A development plan that promotes autonomy. They don't have a development plan that encourages competition, fair play to ensure our country moves forward," he said.
    Third-placed candidate Jorge Tuto Quiroga, who was president between 2001 and 2002, would take 8 percent of the vote, Ipsos said. Two other candidates at the back of the pack polled less than 3 percent each, while 16 percent of voters surveyed said they were either undecided or would spoil their ballot.

  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Audio restrictions: This clip's Audio includes copyrighted material. User is responsible for obtaining additional clearances before publishing the audio contained in this clip.
Register