The unseemly end for Bolivian President Evo Morales serves as a cautionary tale of what happens when world leaders remain in office for too long
President of Bolivia Evo Morales speaks during a press conference on October 24, 2019 in La Paz, Bolivia. Photo: Gabriel Marquez/Getty Images Bolivian President Evo Morales resigned on Sunday under pressure from an increasingly violent protest movement that arose after the election in which he claimed a fourth term in office was marred by suspicions of fraud.
That day was expected to be much less of a cakewalk for the president than the prior two elections, in which he won more than 60 percent of the vote. In order to win outright in the first round, Bolivia’s election law requires a candidate to win either 50 percent, or at least 40 percent with a ten-point lead over their nearest rival.
The forces that compelled Morales to resign were twofold: First, the Organization of American States released the findings of its audit of the vote count, which found evidence of massive irregularities and violations of standard election integrity procedures. The OAS report, released Sunday, concluded that the election “must be annulled and the electoral process must begin again” under “a newly composed electoral body.
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