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Leftist Union Leader Evo Morales Poised to Become First Indigenous President of Bolivia
In Bolivia, union leader Evo Morales has claimed a stunning victory in Sunday's presidential elections. Exit polls show Morales won just over 50% of the vote - giving him the greatest political mandate that any Bolivian president has had in decades. Morales would become the country's first indigenous head of state. He has vowed to increase state controls over Bolivia's key gas resources and to protect coca plantations. We go to Bolivia for a report.
Exit polls from Bolivia's presidential election suggest a clear victory for left-wing Aymara Indian candidate, Evo Morales. Morales is a former coca leaf-grower and union leader. If elected, he would become Bolivia's first indigenous head of state.
Two separate exit polls showed Morales getting 51 percent of the vote, 20 points ahead of his nearest challenger, former President Jorge Quiroga. Quiroga conceded defeat Sunday and offered his congratulations to Morales and his Movement Toward Socialism party.
* Evo Morales, speaking in Cochabamba, December 18th , 2005
The official election results have yet to be released. If no candidate wins 50% of the votes, the new parliament - also being elected on Sunday - will formally vote on who the next president should be.
Bolivia, South America's poorest state, has had five presidents in four years. Large-scale street demonstrations by Indian and union groups over the country's economic policies have toppled the last two presidents. It is currently governed by a caretaker President, Eduardo Rodriguez.
Bolivia's indigenous people make up more than half the population. On Sunday, Morales reiterated his pledge to increase state control over Bolivia's vast natural gas resources and to protect coca plantations. Bolivia is the world's third largest coca producer of coca leaf, the base ingredient of cocaine but also a medicinal plant popular with indigenous people. He said that under his administration, "there will be zero cocaine, zero drug trafficking but not zero coca."
The Bush administration has criticized Morales for his close ties to Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and Cuban president Fidel Castro as well as his opposition to so-called free-trade policies. Morales closed his campaign Thursday by declaring his election would be a: "nightmare for the United States."
* Jim Shultz executive director of the Democracy Center in Cochabama, Bolivia. He writes a blog on Bolivia that can be found at http://DemocracyCtr.org.
LISTEN ONLINE:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/12/19/1515216
Two separate exit polls showed Morales getting 51 percent of the vote, 20 points ahead of his nearest challenger, former President Jorge Quiroga. Quiroga conceded defeat Sunday and offered his congratulations to Morales and his Movement Toward Socialism party.
* Evo Morales, speaking in Cochabamba, December 18th , 2005
The official election results have yet to be released. If no candidate wins 50% of the votes, the new parliament - also being elected on Sunday - will formally vote on who the next president should be.
Bolivia, South America's poorest state, has had five presidents in four years. Large-scale street demonstrations by Indian and union groups over the country's economic policies have toppled the last two presidents. It is currently governed by a caretaker President, Eduardo Rodriguez.
Bolivia's indigenous people make up more than half the population. On Sunday, Morales reiterated his pledge to increase state control over Bolivia's vast natural gas resources and to protect coca plantations. Bolivia is the world's third largest coca producer of coca leaf, the base ingredient of cocaine but also a medicinal plant popular with indigenous people. He said that under his administration, "there will be zero cocaine, zero drug trafficking but not zero coca."
The Bush administration has criticized Morales for his close ties to Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and Cuban president Fidel Castro as well as his opposition to so-called free-trade policies. Morales closed his campaign Thursday by declaring his election would be a: "nightmare for the United States."
* Jim Shultz executive director of the Democracy Center in Cochabama, Bolivia. He writes a blog on Bolivia that can be found at http://DemocracyCtr.org.
LISTEN ONLINE:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/12/19/1515216
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