Socialists Try to Regain Presidency as Bolivians Vote

Bolivians are voting in presidential and congressional elections on Sunday with the socialist movement seeking a return to power a year after their leader Evo Morales was ousted and fled the country.

Moraless ally Luis Arce, a U.K.-educated economist, is ahead in polls, but needs to avoid a run-off in which voters opposed to his socialist party can unite behind a single candidate.

His main opponent is former President Carlos Mesa, an ex-journalist who led the country from 2003-2005.

Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The electoral tribunal Saturday suspended its quick count system, which may cause results to take longer to be released.

Salvador Romero, the head of the tribunal, told reporters that he expects vote-counting to take less than the five-day legal limit, though he didnt give a date.

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Some store owners in La Paz boarded up their windows as a precaution again possible unrest, and security forces deployed heavily in the citys main avenues.

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The vote is the first since last years chaotic election, which led to violent unrest and accusations of fraud. Since then, Bolivia has been run by an unelected transition government which Arce and his supporters regard as illegitimate.

Under Bolivian election rules, a candidate can win in the first round with just 40% of the vote, provided there‘s a margin of more than ten percentage points over the runner-up. If no one wins in the first round, there’ll be a runoff on Nov. 29.

— With assistance by Ezra Fieser

(Adds decision to suspend quick count system in 4th paragraph)