Bolivia's Opposition Gain Ground in Electoral Recount

EspañolAccording to provisional data after a rapid recount of votes cast in Bolivia’s regional and legislative elections in late March, opposition candidates have gained ground, imposing themselves in the regions of Tarija and Beni.

In the southern department of Tarija, Adrián Oliva, a member of the Autonomist Departmental Union (UDA), walked away with the governor’s position after earning between 61.4 percent and 62.1 percent of the votes. Pablo Canedo, running as the candidate for President Evo Morales’s party, is set only to garner between 37.9 and 38.6 percent. Tarijia is home to the greatest amount of oil and natural gas extraction in the country.

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In Amazonian department of Beni, the result seems to have been tighter. Opposition candidate Carlos Dellien garnered between 50.2 and 50.5 percent of ballots, while would-be governor for the ruling Movement for Socialism (MAS) party Alex Ferrier seems to have scored between 49.5 percent and 49.8 percent.

The results of the second round mean that four of the country’s departments will be left in opposition hands, with five staying under MAS control. Bolivia’s regional polls were held on March 29, leading to the election of five governors representing MAS and two for opposition parties. Nevertheless, the departments of Beni and Tarija were left without a clear winner, prompting the recount.

As is usual in Bolivia, media outlets have disseminated the unofficial calculations carried out by Mori and Ipsos before the final result is known, prompted by the habitual slowness of electoral authorities to add up the votes and announce results.

Nevertheless, the polling firms’ projections tend to be correct, and Bolivian authorities are due to publish the official results within the next few days.

If the results of unofficial polls are confirmed, the opposition will have control of four departments (La Paz, Santa Cruz, Beni, and Tarija), while MAS will remain preeminent in the other five (Cochabamba, Pando, Oruro, Potosí, and Chuquisaca).

Source: Entorno Inteligente.