Bolivian voters reject constitutional change, thwarting Evo Morales bid for 4th term

Evo Morales loses bid to run for fourth term as Bolivian president — (Image credit: Johan Ordonez/AFP/Getty Images)

Bolivians voted over the weekend on whether to change the country's constitution to allow President Evo Morales to run for a fourth straight term in 2019, and on Tuesday, the government election commission returned their answer: No. By a slim 51 percent to 49 percent margin, with 98.5 percent of the votes counted, Bolivians decided to keep the constitution as is. Morales, a former coca farmer and Bolivia's first indigenous president, has raised the standard of living for poor Bolivians but also became mired in scandal.

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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.