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| Evo Morales, the presidential candidate for
the left-wing Socialist Movement, shakes hands with his supporters in La
Paz, Bolivia, Dec. 18, 2005. Bolivians began voting Sunday in an election
that will choose deputies for all of the 130 seats in the lower house and
27 seats in the upper house. Voters will also choose a vice president and
nine governors. (Xinhua Photo) |
LA PAZ, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Evo Morales, the presidential candidate for the
left-wing Socialist Movement, was leading Bolivia's presidential election with
around 45 percent of the votebut still short of the 50-percent threshold to win
outright, exit polls showed on Sunday.
Morales, 46, enjoyed a big margin over his main rival Jorge Quiroga of the
right-wing Social and Economic Power Party, who got33 percent, according to
polls by the Equipso Mori. Exit polls of other organization showed similar
results and official results canbe available till Monday to the earliest.
In spite of his apparent lead, the former coca farmer Morales hasn't secured
his victory as the country's law requires a simple majority of 50 percent
of the votes to win the presidency. The congress will then decide the winner
if none of the candidate gets enough support.
"I am the candidate of those despised in Bolivian history, the candidate of
the most disdained, discriminated against," the front-runner said to his
supporters.
Election observers and experts said Morales's surprisingly strong lead is likely to make him favored
by legislators and be chosen as the country's first Indian
president.
Morales also said he would "work democratically to change things, based on
elections and on the conscience of the people."
"In this millennium, it's not a matter of raising arms to defeat
capitalism, so inhumane and savage," the presidential hopeful said.
Morales campaigned on exercising more state control over South America's
second-largest natural gas reserves and ending U.S.-backed coca eradication
efforts.
Candidate Samuel Doria Medina, who was ranked the third in support, has said
he would support the front-runner if his support exceeds 5 percentage
points.
Hundreds of international observers, including a group from the Organization
of American States, monitored Sunday's voting.
Sunday's elections will choose deputies for all of the 130 seats in the
lower house and 27 seats in the upper house. Voters will also choose a vice
president and nine governors. Enditem | 
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