Bolivian President Wins
Recall Referendum
LIMA - Bolivian
President Evo Morales
gained 67.41 percent of
votes in a latest recall
referendum, thus keeping
his office, the
country's electoral
court announced
Saturday, according to
reports from La Paz,
Bolivia's administrative
capital.
On Aug. 10, Bolivians
voted to decide whether
Morales, Vice President
Alvaro Garcia and eight
of the nine provincial
governors should
continue in office. To
remain in office, the
politicians each had to
gain more than 50
percent of votes.
The electoral court's
statistics showed
Morales, Bolivia's first
indigenous president,
and Garcia won 67.41
percent of votes, higher
than the 53.7-percent
support when they were
first elected to office
in 2005.
Five of the eight
governors succeeded in
keeping their positions,
two failed, while the
last one's fate was
still undecided due to
vote-counting problems.
Soon after becoming
president, Morales
appealed for a new
constitution and a
redistribution of wealth
between rich eastern
provinces and poor
western provinces, but
has been fiercely
opposed by the eastern
provinces.
Four provinces have held
referendums to demand
autonomy despite the
central government's
opposition.
The Aug. 10 referendum
was called by Morales in
an attempt to beat
opposition governors who
are defying his reforms
and asking for autonomy.
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