The voters in Bolivia goes to the poll on Sunday to elect their President. The elections have already been postponed twice because of Covid 19.
Ever since the former President Evo Morales who was accused of committing fraud was forced to resign last year the instability has been on the rise in the country. The two strong candidates in the elections are Luis Alberto Arce from Evo Morales party Movement for Socialism (MAS) and former President Carlos Mesa.
Morales is pushing the candidacy of his former finance minister, Luis Alberto Arce in the strongest possible terms.
The elections are happening in the backdrop of Bolivia facing problems including economic, social, political. The biggest challenge of this election is to restore confidence in democracy.
Bolivia’s burden of external debt stands at 26 percent of GDP which IMF describes as “sustainable over the medium term”. Amidst the corona pandemic, its GDP would contract to 7.3 percent this year according to World Bank forecasts.
Moreover, the country deals with an increasing number of corona cases with a strained hospital system. In the election, the health issues remain the top priority for the voters.
The pandemic has caught the Bolivian in a very critical situation. The country lacks enough intensive care units.
Bolivia is in need of political stability and this election is crucial to guarantee that the next president has the legitimacy needed to help the country recover.
Election authorities have said that they are taking all the measures to prevent the spread of the Covid pandemic. Inside each station, the electoral in charge will guarantee that the voters are not in contact with others. They have to wear a face mask and avoid any type of conglomeration at the polling sites.
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