Hours after polling began to end on Sunday, Bolivians waited anxiously for results in an election that many hope can restore stability after a voided ballot last year plunged the nation into crisis and ended the long rule of Evo Morales.
The Organization of American States recommended on Sunday that Bolivia hold a new election after it identified serious irregularities in the voting system in a report that called into question the victory of President Evo Morales.
Bolivian President Evo Morales, the first indigenous ruler of the country, announced his resignation in a televised address on Sunday after weeks of protests around “irregularities” in last month's elections.
Bolivians marched again in several cities on Friday night and there were even scattered cases of police joining the protests, adding to the pressure on President Evo Morales amid a weeks-long standoff over a disputed election last month.
Street clashes broke out on Thursday among supporters and opponents of Bolivia’s government armed with slingshots and dynamite as an opposition leader planned a march to pressure President Evo Morales to resign after disputed elections last month.
Bolivian protest leader who has become a figurehead for opposition to President Evo Morales arrived on Wednesday in capital La Paz, where he plans to formally demand the leftist leader step down after a contentious election last month.
Bolivia's chief opposition leader on Sunday called for new elections to resolve the political crisis engulfing the nation since a disputed Oct 20 vote that Bolivian authorities said was won by leftist President Evo Morales, sparking protests.
Bolivia was set to start a politically charged review of its recent presidential election on Thursday, as the country contended with fresh protests and street clashes that left at least two dead and others injured. The Organization of American States was expected to conduct the audit of the fiercely contested October 20 vote, which handed President Evo Morales a first-round win.
The United Nations on Tuesday called for an urgent de-escalation of tensions in Bolivia, where rival supporters of President Evo Morales and opposition leader Carlos Mesa have clashed since a disputed election.
Street battles broke out on Monday between supporters of President Evo Morales and opposition leader Carlos Mesa as protests against alleged electoral fraud in Bolivia entered a second week.