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BOLIVIA-VOTE
Bolivia’s Morales claims victory in disputed election
LA PAZ, Oct 24, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Bolivian President Evo Morales declared victory Thursday in elections whose disputed results have triggered violent unrest and a general strike.
Morales said that after Sunday’s voting, with 98 percent of the ballots counted he has 46.83 percent of them, against 36.7 percent for his closest rival, the centrist Carlos Mesa.
A margin of at least 10 points would mean outright victory and no runoff.
“We won in the first round,” Morales, who is seeking a fourth straight term, told a news conference. He called this “good news.”
BSS/AFP/MMA/1933HRS