Bolivia’s ‘interim president’ withdraws from upcoming election, one day after poll shows pro-Morales candidate in the lead
The acting president of Bolivia, Jeanine Anez, has declared that she will not run in next month’s presidential race, citing the need to consolidate votes in order to defeat a socialist candidate loyal to ousted leader Evo Morales.
“IT IS NOT A SACRIFICE, IT IS AN HONOR,” Anez blared in an all-caps tweet on Thursday, announcing that she, as well as running mate Samuel Doria, had withdrawn their candidacy in the upcoming election “for the greater good”
“Today I put aside my candidacy in homage to freedom and democracy. The stakes in this election are not small. Really, democracy is at stake in Bolivia,” she said, warning that a split vote could see a candidate from Morales’ party, the Movement for Socialism (MAS), rise to power.