Bolivia dismissed its October elections as fraudulent. MIT research found no reason to suspect fraud
As Bolivia gears up for a do-over election on May 3, the country remains in unrest following the Nov. 10 military-backed coup against incumbent President Evo Morales.
A quick recap: Morales claimed victory in Octobers election - but the opposition protested about what it called electoral fraud.
A Nov. 10 report from the Organization of American States (OAS) noted election irregularities. Police then joined the protests and Morales sought asylum in Mexico.
The military-installed government charged Morales with sedition and terrorism. A European Union (EU) monitoring report noted that some 40 former electoral officials have been arrested, and 35 people have died in the post-electoral conflict.
The media has largely reported the allegations of fraud as fact. And many commentators have justified the coup.
However, as specialists in election integrity, we find that the statistical evidence does not support the claim of fraud in Bolivias October election.
At: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/02/26/bolivia-dismissed-its-october-elections-fraudulent-our-research-found-no-reason-suspect-fraud/
Deposed Bolivian President Evo Morales and his party's nominee for elections this May, former Economy Minister Luis Arce.
Bolivia's military forced Morales to resign in November after the right-wing opposition and the U.S.-dominated OAS loudly alleged electoral fraud - but statistical models by the MIT and other researchers found no such proof.
Arce, the current-front-runner, has denounced a campaign to stymie his own candidacy this year by the far-right Jeanine Áñez dictatorship.