Politics
President Evo Morales of Bolivia has narrowly lost a referendum to allow him to stand for a fourth term in office, exit polls suggest.
One poll suggests 52.3% voted against the proposal to amend the constitution, while another suggests it was 51%. But his deputy has predicted Bolivia's first head of state of indigenous origin could still win, as official results trickle in. The change would have let Mr Morales remain in power until 2025. Opposition supporters have been celebrating the referendum result in parts of the main city, La Paz Mr Morales, an indigenous Aymara and former coca leaf producer, took office in January 2006. The president's current term ends in 2020.
Reuters writes:
Bolivian President Evo Morales looked headed for defeat in a referendum on whether the leftist leader can seek a fourth term in office, according to exit polls and early results on Sunday. Morales, 56, now serving his third term, was trying to change the constitution so he could run for re-election in 2019, potentially allowing the former coca grower to remain president until 2025. With 3.6 percent of votes counted, the 'no' camp was on 67 percent, versus 33 percent for 'yes', according to early official results from the electoral commission. Full results are expected later on Monday. Exit polls also showed he may have lost the vote, although by a narrower margin. An Ipsos poll had the "no" side at 52.3 percent and "yes" at 47.7 percent, while a Mori poll gave a 51 percent to 49 percent lead to the "no." Speaking outside the presidential palace, Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera insisted on Sunday evening that it was "clearly a dead heat" and the result could still be reversed. "It could be that the tears of joy on some opposition politicians will turn into tears of dismay by the morning," he said.
