Overview

• Nearly 7.9 million Bolivians must cast ballots under compulsory voting rules, with a runoff to follow on October 19 if no candidate secures a clear majority
• The Supreme Electoral Tribunal will photograph tally sheets at polling stations and transmit them directly to counting centers under EU, OAS supervision
• Barred ex-president Evo Morales is sheltering in Chapare and campaigning for spoiled ('Nulo') votes to challenge the election’s legitimacy and has warned of street protests
• Right-leaning veterans Samuel Doria Medina and Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga each poll at about 20 percent, capitalizing on soaring inflation, plunging gas exports and shortages of fuel and dollars
• Fragmented Movement Toward Socialism candidates lag in single digits, setting the stage for a potential end to nearly two decades of MAS rule