Electoral Courts Ask That Morales Substantiate Claims of Fraud
The Departmental Electoral Courts (CDE) of the regions accused by President Evo Morales of commiting fraud in Sunday´s elections today asked the president to present evidence supporting his claims. The request came on the behalf of the court presidents of the departments of Beni, Santa Cruz, and Tarija, departments in which the president´s political party, MAS, lost both mayoral and gubernatorial elections. In those elections MAS obtained less support than was expected in comparison to the national elections of December, 2009 in which President Morales was reelected.
On Wednesday in Huatjata near Lake Titikaka, President Morales said that his party was preparing legal actions to “respect the vote” of Bolivians in the regions where his followers had filed complaints. In the judgment of Morales “the behavior of the electoral courts in Beni, Santa Cruz, and Tarija is criminal.” The CDE president in Beni, Victor Edgar Moreno, responded that his actions have been placed in the framework of the law and that he has completed all of the necessary procedures. “If there is some accusation or complaint of a supposed fraud, they would have to present evidence and prove it,” continued Mr. Moreno.
In one example of alleged misconduct, MAS candidate for governor in Beni, Jessica Jordan, complained that when she voted all of the votes, including hers, were registered in favor of the opposition. Were Ms. Jordan´s claim proved true it would be an obvious case of voting fraud. Miguel Ángel Guzmán, CDE president in Tarija, also reported that supporters of MAS in Tarija had protested with threats while the results favoring the opposition were announced.
The speakers of the National Electoral Court, including president Antonio Costas, have traveled to the Pando region where both candidates have been accused of fraud. Almost all of the Pando votes have been counted by national representatives of the electoral court and they plan to broadcast the results, believing that the result is correct.