LA PAZ (Sputnik) – Voting in Bolivia’s presidential election has wrapped up at most polling stations, the head of Bolivia’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), Salvador Romero, told journalists on Sunday afternoon.
Polling stations were set to close at 17:00 local time on Sunday (21:00 GMT) in Bolivia. According to Romero, votes from polling stations in Bolivia will start to be counted at 18:00.
Bolivia’s Interim President Jeanine Anez called on citizens and political parties to have patience as they wait for official voting results.
Earlier on Sunday, Romero announced the opening of polling stations in Bolivia, saying that masks and sanitizers would be available.
On Saturday, Romero assured reporters that vote counting would be carried out transparently and in line with the law and anybody, including journalists and international observers, would be able to monitor the process and take photos of polling station statements on votes.
According to the latest polls, Luis Arce Catacora, the nominee of former president Evo Morales’ Movement to Socialism (MAS) party, is ahead of centrist former president Carlos Mesa and other presidential candidates.
Romero said on Saturday that official voting results should not be expected on Sunday night as vote counting would take some time.
Bolivia has experienced political turmoil since Morales stepped down in November of last year, after a controversial presidential election. Most of Bolivia’s senior officials resigned in his wake. The Bolivian opposition, led by Carlos Mesa, claimed that there were mass violations during the October 2019 vote.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
