No fourth term, says Evo Morales

14 October 2014 Last updated at 16:27 Evo Morales told the BBC that he will not seek another term in office

Bolivian President Evo Morales has ruled out running for a fourth term in office in 2020, as exit polls from Sunday’s election suggest he has won an unprecedented third spell as leader.

He told the BBC that by 2020 he was more likely to want to return to work on his farm in Central Bolivia, and spend his time visiting old friends.

Mr Morales has governed since 2006.

His critics have accused him of becoming increasingly autocratic and seeking to prolong his time in office.

Mr Morales was first elected president in 2005 and took up office in 2006

Mr Morales said that the government plans he had proposed during his campaign were not tied to him personally being in power.

“I understand this Latin American way of thinking that everything is always about a single person, but I don’t like it,” he told BBC Mundo’s Ignacio de los Reyes in La Paz.

“This is a government plan, it is not the plan of a [specific] president. Whoever comes after 2020 will need to commit to our patriotic agenda, therefore there is no need for Evo to be president until 2025.”

He said he had not even considered changing the constitution to allow him to stand for a fourth term.

He said that by 2020 he would be looking forward to returning to the rural area of Central Bolivia where he grew up.

“My big desire is to go back to Chapare, improve my farm, maybe build a couple of cabins to welcome former presidents,” he said.

He also suggested paying a visit to allies such as former Brazilian President Lula and Uruguayan President Jose Mujica.

Votes from Sunday’s presidential election are still being counted but exit polls show Mr Morales in the lead

Exit polls from Sunday’s election suggest Mr Morales won 60% of the votes, well ahead of his closest rival’s 25%.

To avoid a run-off, he must win 50% of valid votes, or 40% if that includes a 10-point lead over his nearest rival.

His main rival, Samuel Doria Medina, acknowledged defeat on Monday.

Official counting is still under way.

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No fourth term, says Evo Morales

Morales set for Bolivia election win

13 October 2014 Last updated at 01:25 Opinion polls suggest a first round victory for Evo Morales, seen here voting in Chapare region Exit polls in Bolivia’s presidential elections indicate that the incumbent, Evo Morales, has won a third consecutive term in office.

Mr Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous leader, won more than 60% of the vote, according to the unofficial exit polls.

Votes are still being counted across the country. Six million people were eligible to vote in Bolivia and abroad.

Mr Morales has overseen strong economic growth since taking office in 2006 and has been widely tipped to win.

He has presided over a a period of economic growth and reduced poverty, using Bolivia’s commodity wealth to reduce poverty levels.

But he has been criticised for failing to halt corruption.

Mr Morales’s party, the Movement Toward Socialism, is also expected to make gains and win a strong majority in Congress.

The poll passed without major incident, according to the electoral authorities and foreign observers.

Analysis: Ignacio de los Reyes, BBC News

The La Paz cable car – one of Mr Morales’s projects

Evo Morales became the first indigenous president in 2006 and is even more popular now, and not only among his Aymara ethnic group.

He won the trust of many thanks to Bolivia’s good economic performance. Supermarkets, cinemas and restaurants are popping up everywhere.

The new cable car in La Paz is perhaps the best example of the changing times in Bolivia, which remains one of the poorest countries in the region.

It connects La Paz with the satellite city of El Alto, home to thousands of migrants. There, a monument to Che Guevara sits next to a brand new shopping centre, surrounded by thousands of poorly built stalls selling counterfeit products.

A giant campaign poster of “Evo” overlooks the scene. His face is likely to stay there for five more years if, as predicted, he wins a landslide victory on Sunday.

Economic growth

Since 2006, Mr Morales’s government has focused on education subsidies, increased pensions and spending on public works.

He has been boosted by a boom in commodities prices that has helped boost export revenues nine-fold.

The revenue has helped fund policies that have created an average annual economic growth of 5%, well above the regional average.

It has also funded public works projects, including a cable car system for the capital, La Paz.

Samuel Doria Medina addresses supporters in Santa Cruz

Some 500,000 people have been taken out of poverty.

The oil, gas, mining, telecommunications and water sectors have all been nationalised.

Mr Morales’s critics say he has introduced anti-environment measures and presided over a corrupt administration.

He is also accused of using millions of dollars in government cash to fund his re-election campaign and that this has helped create a fractured opposition.

Although there are four challengers in the election, opinion polls suggest Mr Morales is 40 points ahead of his nearest rival, Samuel Doria Medina.

Mr Doria Medina has vowed to clean up the judiciary if elected.

To avoid a run-off, Mr Morales must win 50% of valid votes, or 40% if that includes a 10-point lead over his nearest rival.

Mr Morales will want to maintain his two-thirds control of Bolivia’s Senate and assembly, which are also holding elections.

This could allow him to alter the constitution to permit a fourth term in office.

Mr Morales has already benefited from a court ruling that permitted him to run for a third term.

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Morales set for Bolivia election win