In this radical narrative, some dramatically spoke of a “dictatorship” in which patriots could only speak in whispers in cafés for fear of the persecution of Indigenous authoritarianism. What was at stake in this election? More than party platforms, this election was between competing understandings of the 14 years under the MAS and the nearly 12 months under Jeanine Áñez, a conservative senator who-taking advantage of the power vacuum after Evo Morales was overthrown and MAS senator and senate president Adriana Salvatierra refused to succeed him-unexpectedly took over the Palacio Quemado.įrom the start, the Áñez regime demonized the MAS, trying to reduce the party to a “narcoterrorist” force and characterizing its administrations as an awful mix of authoritarianism, corruption, and waste, a far cry from the images of economic success broadly held before Morales’s overthrow by even international financial agencies. In his victory speech early Monday morning, he was humble, called for a self-critique, and promised to pursue national unity. Arce will also have to prove that his economic model-one of the trump cards of the MAS in its decade and a half in power-works as well in times of economic crisis, uncertainty, and pandemic as it did during the commodity boom. In November 2019, Camacho had been the leader of the street protests, which, along with a policy mutiny and military ultimatum, lead to the overthrow of then-President Evo Morales and his exile in Argentina.Īfter these results, Arce will have to forge his own presidential leadership, with Evo Morales returning to Bolivia weaker than before, but undoubtedly still influential, and with Vice President David Choquehuanca distanced from Morales and with his own political base in the Aymara communities of the altiplano surrounding La Paz.
The party won by 65 percent to 32 percent in its stronghold of La Paz, but even gained a notable 35 percent in Santa Cruz, the department where the conservative Luis Fernando Camacho won. By rapidly recognizing the MAS victory and congratulating Arce in the early hours of the morning, interim president Jeanine Áñez undoubtedly helped to ease the tension, as the official count slowly dragged on after an exemplary day of voting following all the protocols in pandemic times. Even if their opponents had managed to unite behind a single candidate, which they failed to do, it would still not have been enough.
Former president Carlos Mesa, who had expected to receive the “strategic votes” of all those who wanted to keep the MAS out of power, was more than 20 points behind.Īll of the talk during the campaign and on election day about how Arce had limited appeal and little chance of winning more votes beyond core MAS supporters was blown sky high, and the MAS began to prepare to return to the Palacio Quemado with a landslide victory. Luis Arce Catacora would easily surpass 50 percent of votes and win without any need for a runoff. Not even the greatest optimists in the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) campaign had imagined such a number.
#New mas tv
After hours of delays and excuses, Unitel, the TV channel with the largest audience in Bolivia, finally made public the projected results based on the quick count by the Ciesmori polling firm.
The polls in Bolivia closed at 5pm but as midnight approached with no official results, or even exit polls or quick counts, suspicions and tensions were growing.
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