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.
Bolivia's President Evo Morales claimed on Sunday his political rivals were preparing a coup d'etat next week as strike action and protests against his controversial re-election continued.
A final vote tally by Bolivia's electoral board gave President Evo Morales an outright win in the first-round election on Thursday, with 47.07% of ballots compared to 36.51% for runner-up Carlos Mesa, data on the board's website showed.
Bolivia's opposition launched a general strike on Wednesday amid protests and disturbances over disputed election results that pointed to another term for President Evo Morales, who likened the unrest to a right-wing coup.
Bolivia’s electoral authority announced on Monday night that President Evo Morales was close to avoiding a runoff in his re-election bid, touching off protests by the leader’s opponents already upset by a sudden halt in the release of the vote count.
Bolivian President Evo Morales will face a run-off vote for the first time after failing to secure a fourth consecutive term at an election. Morales had 45% of the vote to 38% of former President Carlos Mesa, partial results from Sunday's presidential vote showed.
Bolivia's Evo Morales will seek a controversial fourth term as president on Sunday when voters head to the polls in what is expected to be a tight race for the once-popular left-wing leader. Morales is already the longest-serving president in Bolivian history, having been at the helm for 13 years, and its first indigenous president.