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Violent Protests in Bolivia over Election
Violent protests raged in Bolivia for a 2nd straight night amid allegations that President Evo Morales is manipulating vote totals from Sunday's election.
Morales needs to win the election by at least 10 percentage points for him to avoid a runoff election against the second place finisher, a runoff that numerous experts say Morales is likely to lose.
Initial election results reported from Sunday said that Morales was only winning by 7 percent, but then the vote count mysteriously stopped being reported, and Morales claimed victory.
Protesters believe Morales and his allies are falsifying the election results to give Morales a 10 percent lead. Demonstrators tonight set fire to the electoral headquarters in Sucre, and clashed with police in Bolivia's capital La Paz.
(1:52) "Bolivia: Protests erupt as election officials say Morales close to outright victory"
(22 sec) "Bolivia Elections: Protests Break Out in Sucre"
Bolivia Elections: Protests Break Out
Hundreds of supporters gather in the Bolivian city of Sucre, Monday, October 21, after Carlos Mesa, the main opposition candidate, rejected results that seemed set to hand a victory to long-time incumbent Evo Morales.
Bolivia Braces for General Strike After Vote Chaos
Bolivia braced for a general strike on Tuesday, hours after violence broke out in several cities. Opposition supporters reacted with fury, torching electoral offices in the southwestern cities of Sucre and Potosi, while rival supporters clashed in the capital La Paz. Incidents were reported in cities across the South American country. Carlos Mesa, who came a close second to Morales in Sunday's polls — forcing a run-off, according to preliminary results — denounced revised results as a "fraud." International monitors from the Organization of American States voiced "deep concern" at sudden changes to the election count to show Morales closing in on an outright victory in the first round. Preliminary results released late Sunday showed neither Morales, 59, nor 66-year-old Mesa, with a majority and "clearly indicated a second round," the OAS mission said. (AFP)