LA PAZ, (Reuters) – Bolivian President Evo Morales acknowledged defeat in a referendum that would have cleared the way for him to run for a fourth term in 2019, saying in a speech yesterday that he would respect the decision of the people.
Morales, a leftist who was first elected in 2006 and is now in his third term, had tried to persuade Bolivians that the constitution should be changed to allow him another run for the presidency.
Most polls ahead of the referendum suggested a narrow win was likely, given Morales’ solid support among those who credit him with slashing poverty in Bolivia, South America’s poorest country when ranked by gross domestic product per capita.
But in the end, with more than 99 percent of votes counted, the “no” side had 51.3 percent to the “yes” side’s 48.7 percent, Bolivia’s electoral commission said.
“We respect the results … we have lost a battle, but we’re not defeated,” Morales said in a televised speech from the presidential palace.
The rejection is another blow to South America’s once dominant populist leftist bloc, which has lost steam as voters have tired of cronyism and tumbling commodities prices have provided less income to fuel government spending.
In Bolivia, one-time coca grower Morales has spent a natural gas windfall on welfare programs and infrastructure. The once marginalized indigenous Aymara, to which he belongs, have particularly benefited.
The president blamed the referendum loss on discrimination and a smear campaign or “dirty war” by the right-wing opposition.
In recent weeks, his popularity has been damaged by revelations that a company that employs an ex-girlfriend had won lucrative government contracts. The problem was compounded when photos emerged showing the couple together last year, although he had said the relationship ended in 2007.
Accusations of corruption have been leveled in the past against his Movement to Socialism (MAS) party, but Morales himself has always risen above it.
