Bolivian President Evo Morales wins third term

(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Exit polls and unofficial returns suggest that Bolivian President Evo Morales has won a third term, beating a slate of four opponents with about 60 percent of the vote. Morales, a populist leftist and Bolivia's first indigenous president, declared victory from the balcony of the presidential palace, calling his landslide victory "a triumph for anti-imperialists and anti-colonialists," and dedicating it to Fidel Castro.

Unlike Cuba, Bolivia's economy is booming, thanks primarily to natural gas exports. The Morales administration is also widely regarded as using its gas money prudently and pragmatically, building up foreign reserves and increasing spending on infrastructure and welfare programs. Poverty has decreased from a third of the population to a fifth since Morales took office in 2006, according to government figures. His new term lasts until 2020.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.