Last night, after eight o’clock, teleSUR reported that Evo Morales held a 10 point lead over his opponent – 46.86 to 36.73%, with more than 95% of the votes counted. We must however wait until 100% are tallied to declare a victory for Evo and Bolivia.
Although all ballots, including those from isolated rural areas traditionally favorable to Evo, were yet to be counted, the opponent Carlos Mesa began to celebrate the need for a second round, which no one had confirmed. Mesa told the media that, if Evo won, he would not be recognized by opponents and a call would be made to not accept the popular verdict.The governments of Brazil, Argentina, the United States, and the OAS quickly agreed with Mesa and began to question the Electoral Court and the vote counting system.The uncertainty created as to whether there would be a second round was fueled by the fact that the Electoral Court has not provided new reports, due to the remoteness of several rural areas and the difficulty involved in transporting ballots to the counting and verification centers.
(Granma)