LA PAZ, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Bolivia will hold its presidential and congressional elections on Sunday. The following are some key facts about the elections.
A landlocked country covering some 1.09 million square km, Bolivia is rich in natural resources, including tin, oil and gas.
La Paz is Bolivia's administrative capital and the seat of the government. Located at 3,632 meters above sea level, it is the highest capital in the Americas.
Years of colonial rules and military dictatorship have kept the country impoverished, especially for its majority indigenous population. That has recently changed with the democratically-elected President Evo Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president.
More than 5.8 million people have registered in Bolivia and over 270,000 from 33 countries are eligible for the elections.
The newly-elected president will take office on Jan. 22, 2015 for a five-year term.
Voters will also elect a vice president, 130 deputies and 36 senators in Sunday's races.
The polls will open at 8 a.m local time (1200 GMT) and close at 4 p.m. (2000 GMT) on Sunday at around 1,500 polling stations.
The preliminary results are expected to be released early Sunday evening.
Five candidates are competing for the presidency. According to the latest opinion polls, the incumbent President Evo Morales from the Movement for Socialism gained 59 percent of support, followed by Samuel Doria Medina, the candidate of the Democratic Unity (UD) party, with 18 percent, and Jorge Quiroga, candidate of the Christian Democratic Party, with 9 percent.
Some 300 international observers will be monitoring the election process.
A candidate needs an absolute majority to be declared winner of the first round, or a runoff will take place.
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