In recent weeks, Latin America has been marked by violent protests in different countries. In some countries such as Chile and Ecuador , the protests were sparked by economic reasons. In Bolivia , in contrast, the protests in this country were sparked by the results of an electoral process that was widely questioned.
The political situation pushed President Evo Morales to resign after being in power for almost 14 years. The Bolivian constitution allowed to be reelected once but the former President had been re-elected four times. To make this possible, Morales implemented a referendum in 2016 , where he asked people if they would allow the modification of the Constitution so that Evo Morales could be reelected a fourth time.
Before the referendum, Evo Morales said he was prepared for a possible defeat and that he would happily return to his life in the agriculture fields.
When the results didn't favor him, he broke his promise. He filed a complaint at the Constitutional Tribunal because he considered that his political rights were being undermined. The Tribunal ruled in his favor and on October 20 , 2019, he was named as a presidential contender for the next period.
On the day of the election , the preliminary results suggested there would be a runoff . At that moment, without any explanation, the vote count came to a halt and was resumed 24 hours later but now the numbers showed a wider gap between the candidates, thus annulling the possibility of a runoff and with Evo Morales as the winner of the presidential election .
The election results sparked fraud accusations and protests organized by the opposition , strikes , and blockades . A report issued by the Organization of American States registered several irregularities during the process.
Although Bolivia greatly improved its economy under the lead of Evo Morales , the political elite shouldn't be allowed to ignore democratic values and the law .
The situation in Bolivia is a reminder of the importance of respecting the popular vote because once you ignore the law, you risk the most valued characteristic in any country: social peace .
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