Oct. 20, a general election was held in Bolivia to elect 130 members of the Chamber of Deputies, 36 senators, the president and vice president; however, President Evo Morales has since then been accused of election fraud due to a recent update on the election results, which included a major lead in an attempt to avoid a runoff election. A previous update on the election’s results showed that there was a smaller voter margin compared to the most recent update, thereby suggesting to the public that the results were tampered with by Morales.
Citizens of Bolivia are losing trust in their government and the democracy of the elections. Bolivians have also described Morales as an authoritarian politician based on his abuse of political power over other Bolivian political institutions. Additional suspicion arose when election officials prevented updates on the election results for approximately 24 hours. Since then, Bolivians have published data on social media to showcase the irregularities in the general election’s voting results. Morales has a strong sense of power over Bolivia, as evidenced by the accusation of election fraud, and has previously advocated for the removal of term limits to further extend his political presence.
Since the accusations against Morales, protests have been organized in Bolivia as a response to the accusations of election fraud. As protestors organized, they garnered the support of Morales’ political rival, Carlos Mesa, as he, too, suspected Morales of election fraud. Protestors have become increasingly violent as acts of vandalism have grown rampant and therefore contributed to massive political unrest in Bolivia.
Electoral offices in three cities have been set aflame by protestors. Recently, protestors have advocated for a nation-wide strike in opposition to Morales.
In response, police officers have been ordered to patrol the streets of Bolivia, which has created conflict between law enforcement and protestors, as officers utilized tear gas to silence protestors. Election officials have also halted their work on the election results due to the political unrest. Morales has accepted the most recent update as valid and refuses to concede, despite allegations against him. Other political officials in the Bolivian government have defended Morales against the allegations of election fraud and blamed Mesa for contributing to the political unrest.
As protests continue in Bolivia, threats to democracy grow more prevalent, as election fraud raises an immense concern for the validity of the Bolivian general election.
