Evo Morales Wins Second Term in Bolivia

[Andronex]

Source: Prensa Latina

La Paz, Dec 6 (Prensa Latina) With broader popular support, Evo Morales won relatively easy today''s elections and clinched a second term as Bolivia''s President.

Morales, Bolivia's first ever indigenous President, was re-elected with between 61 percent and 62 percent of the vote as exit polls suggest, securing a convincing victory on Sunday's elections thus avoiding a run-off with his conservative rivals.

His main opponent Manfred Reyes Villa, a former governor, stayed wel behind with about 23 percent, exit polls indicate while the official results are expected in the coming days.His other challenger was Samuel Doria Medina, a wealthy businessman. Foreign observers have praised the election for its transparency and fairness.

Jubilant supporters waving Bolivian flags jumped up and down in La Paz's central Murillo square an hour after polls closed chanting "Evo! Evo!".

Read more: http://www.prensa-latina.cu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=144118&Itemid=1

[unkachuck]

1. excellent!....n/t

[L. Coyote]

18. Ditto & REC'ed.

[rwheeler31]

2. Great for the people.

[mojowork_n]

3. The people have spoken.

Evo Morales was one of the most interesting guests ever to be interviewed by Jon Stewart, on The Daily Show. Then a year or two later he kicked the D E A out of his country, with the claim that they were in the business of promoting traffic.

[Overseas]

4. Yaaaaay! K&R. Glad to hear it! //nt

[niyad]

5. k and r--excellent news

[David__77]

6. Wonderful! Now a new homeland can be founded.

The opposition has been crushed everywhere but in Santa Cruz; through the right measures, that can be captured next year.

[rabs]

7. Vice president candidate votes in prison.

Leopoldo Fernández (ABI file photo)

Fernández was the vice presidential pick by Manfred Reyes Villa, the main rightist candidate running against Evo. Reyes Villa and Fernández were crushed at the polls today.

Fernández was forced to cast his vote in the San Pedro prison in La Paz where he is being held on charges of crimes against humanity.

The government this week ordered that Reyes Villa could not leave the country because he too is being investigated for a massacre of campesinos during the presidency of Sanchez de Lozada several years ago.

And I thought the McCain/Palin ticket had been bad :rofl:

(Andronex, welcome to DU and check out Latin America forum if you are interested in LatAm news.)

[EFerrari]

8. OMG.

LOL

[Judi Lynn]

10. Cool. Hope they keep him. He is a monster. n/t

[rabs]

11. Leopoldo Fernández is probably living in a prison suite

San Pedro Prison in La Paz is one of the most unusual lockups in the world.

Prisoners must buy their cells and the most expensive have TV, private toilets, kitchens and other amenities (probably Internet by now). There is a hotel, all kinds of shops, restaurants and snack shops. Most of the inmates have been charged with illegal drug trafficking.

There are no guards, the prisoners, elected democratically by the inmates, run the administration and enforce the law inside. Sexual predators are killed.

Wives and children are allowed to live with some of the prisoners. Coca Cola has exclusive rights to sell its products inside the prison.

Tours of the prison for foreign tourists are available.

More on the prison with photos:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/06/americas_inside_a_bolivian_jail/html/1.stm

[anonymous171]

12. Wow. A Democratic Capitalist prison. That's pretty interesting. nt

[Judi Lynn]

16. Incredible! All this and NO GUARDS, too! This is info. most USAmericans have never heard. Thanks. nt

[JackRiddler]

20. Some of those are pretty good ideas for any prison.

Not the killing part, of course. Or Coca-Cola, necessarily.

[New Dawn]

9. K&R

[LeftishBrit]

13. Good news!

[dipsydoodle]

14. BBC news link

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8397908.stm

[Judi Lynn]

17. Fantastic election summary,dipsydoodle,great hearing Morales to "accelerate the pace of change".nt

[Demeter]

15. Viva Morales!

[bitchkitty]

19. Evo! Evo! Evo!

Excellent news!

Choke on it, right wing troll brigade!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

21. Their best hope for a fair & square defeat of the left is Chile now.

And even that may not materialize.