Morales vows to defend coca growers

cctv.com 12-19-2005 09:55

Nearly 4 million Bolivians have voted in the country's presidential election. Socialist Evo Morales is leading his conservative rival by more than 10 percentage points after Sunday's voting, according to two early independent exit polls. Final official results have not yet been announced. The front-runner is vowing to bring socialism and legalize coca growing.

The Bolivian presidential race is deeply divided between the 46-year-old Socialist candidate and conservative former president Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga. The latter has said that he would get tough on coca growing and keep Bolivia on its free-market track once elected.

But Morales stresses that the most important thing for him is to reverse years of US-backed efforts to eradicate coca fields. In the past, this has led to violent clashes between growers and security forces.

Evo Morales said: "This political tool for the sovereignty of the people, legally called the Movement Towards Socialism, was born to defend this coca leaf, to defend our land and territory."

Pre-election polls put Morales with about 34 percent of the vote. Quiroga had about 29 percent.

The candidates need 50 percent plus one of the votes, to be automatically elected. However, various parties have said whoever leads with more than 5 percent of the vote should be President.

Without a majority, the newly elected congress would choose the president between the top two vote-winners in mid-January.

Caretaker President Eduardo Rodriguez inaugurated the election in a morning ceremony at the National Electoral Court.

Eduardo Rodriguez said: "I hope at the end of the election, independently from the results, whoever has participated will behave towards the Bolivian people with the same maturity, the same responsibility, in order to preserve order, peace and the democratic system."

Hundreds of international observers have been working in the last few days in Bolivia. Officials from the Organization of American States have said that the election is proceeding smoothly.

Editor:Wang Ping  Source:CCTV.com