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News > Bolivia

Bolivia: Regional Elections Begin Despite Minor Issues

  • Citizen voting in Bolivia's Plateau, March 7, 2021

    Citizen voting in Bolivia's Plateau, March 7, 2021 | Photo: teleSUR

Published 7 March 2021
Opinion

These absences have delayed the opening of some polling stations in Potosi, La Paz, and Sucre's departments.
 

The President of Bolivia's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), Salvador Romero, inaugurated the regional elections early Sunday morning.

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UN Calls for Peaceful Subnational Elections in Bolivia

Bolivians must elect 9 governors, 270 departmental assembly members, 337 mayors, and over 2,000 municipal councilors. A total of 20,337 candidates representing 221 organizations were registered; however, the Movement for Socialism - Political Instrument for People's Sovereignty (MAS-IPSP) appears the most robust one.

Over 7.1 million citizens are called to vote in a country where participation surpasses 80 percent of voters, which means a major challenge amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Romero said that Bolivia already has the experience of the October 2020 presidential elections, and consequently, all the biosecurity protocols recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) have been implemented.

The first hours have passed with minor mishaps like a lack of jurors, which had delayed the opening of some polling stations like the one where President Luis Arce had to vote.

Delays have also been reported in Potosi, Sucre, and La Paz Department, but it is expected that all facilities will be up and running before noon.

Electoral authorities invited waiting voters to take the place of absent jurors to guarantee the voting process.

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