MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivian Indian leader ahead in public opinion poll

Bolivian Indian and peasant leader Evo Morales ranked for the first time as the leading contender for the coming December presidential election according to a public opinion poll published Sunday in La Paz.

Mr. Morales moved ahead of candidate Jorge Quiroga, a former caretaker president who until now was leading in all opinion polls.

The poll done by Apoyo, Opinion y Mercado shows Mr. Morales with 28% support followed by Mr. Quiroga with 22% and businessman Samuel Doria Mediana 19%.

In the previous public opinion poll from last August, Mr. Quiroga and his party Podemos (We can) was leading with 22%, just one point ahead of Mr. Morales and his Movement Towards Socialism, who has a strong backing among peasants and the mostly Indian population.

Apparently Mr. Morales strong push was because the opinion poll this time also included rural areas, not only urban areas.

Far behind the top three candidates comes the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement hopeful Michiaki Nagatani -Japanese descendant- with 2%. Another 16% of voters remain undecided or did not reply.

The general election with eight presidential candidates and the renewal of Congress is scheduled for next December 4.

Bolivia is currently ruled by caretaker president Eduardo Rodriguez (former head of the Supreme Court), who succeeded Carlos Mesa and Sanchez de Lozada, both ousted unable to find a political compromise on two burning issues which have split the country's public opinion: private or government exploitation of the country's rich mineral resources, particularly natural gas, and regional autonomy, with the rich provinces wanting to cut loose from the impoverished areas of the country.

Mr. Morales who is also head of the coca planters' movement, which has distanced him from Washington, is a declared admirer of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and Brazilian president Lula da Silva.