LA PAZ – Bolivians waited nervously for the results of Sunday’s high-stakes presidential election even as Evo Morales pre-empted authorities' slow vote count and declared his hand-picked candidate the victor in a high-stakes redo of last year’s annulled ballot that saw the leftist leader resign and leave the country.
More than six hours after polls closed, barely 4% of all ballot boxes had been counted, officials said. Adding to intrigue, publication of two exit polls were withheld after private pollsters said they didn’t trust their own survey results.
Morales, who resigned following allegations of fraud and days of violence that marred last year’s vote, broke the tense silence by declaring former Economy Minister Luis Arce the winner.