Bolivia braced for election marred by violence as both sides claim the other is cheating

VOTERS in Bolivia are stocking up on food and fuel in anticipation of widespread protests as the country is set to finally decide on its successor to Evo Morales, the controversial socialist leader who was forced out last year amid allegations of vote rigging.

Today’s bitterly disputed contest pits Mr Morales’s Movement to Socialism (MAS) against centrist and Right-wing rivals, determined to halt their opponents’ return to power. Each side claims that the other is planning to cheat, and the outcome of the vote could spark violence regardless of the winner.

MAS has seized on economic stress wrought by coronavirus and has the edge in the polls, but is unlikely to get enough votes to avoid a divisive run-off.

“The city is tense,” said 32-year-old Silvia Fernández, who lives in the capital, La Paz. “It’s hard to imagine either side willing to concede defeat.”

This poll to choose a permanent successor to Mr Morales, who ran the country for 14 years before he fled last year amid allegations of vote-rigging, has been delayed several times during the coronavirus pandemic.

The aftermath of last year’s election was marred by weeks of street fighting that left 33 dead. In 2016 Bolivians voted in a referendum to deny Mr Morales, the country’s first indigenous president, the right to run for a fourth term. But he ignored them and went on to win last October’s election in a poll that was marred by accusations of fraud.

Ms Fernández joined thousands of Bolivians in protests that toppled Mr Morales and his government a month later. He accused the country’s political Right-wing of staging a coup. Jeanine Áñez, a Right-wing senator, became interim president. Her only goal, she said, was to prepare fresh elections and unite the country. Instead, she decided to stand for president herself, before dropping out last month due to a lack of support. “Áñez just used the job for her own gain,” said Ms Fernández.

Bolivia is deeply divided between those who support the socialist candidate Luis Arce and those who favour Carlos Mesa, a centrist former president. But polls suggest the socialists remain ahead, even if they are not quite as popular as they once were.

If no candidate wins over 40 per cent of the vote with a 10 per cent margin, the race goes to a run-off next month.

“It’s going to get worse before it gets better, and as always, it’s us the voters who will suffer most,” said Ms Fernández.