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Evo Morales wins third presidential term in Bolivia

Evo Morales declared victory in Bolivia's presidential election on Sunday, when exit polls put him at 60 percent of the vote.

By Kate Stanton
UPI/Maryam Rahmanian
UPI/Maryam Rahmanian | License Photo

LA PAZ, Bolivia, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Bolivia's incumbent president will likely serve an unprecedented third consecutive term in office.

Evo Morales, of the leftist Movement for Socialism party, claimed victory in the national election on Sunday night. Unofficial exit polls showed him leading the four other candidates with 60 percent of the vote.

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"This democratic triumph of the Bolivian people is dedicated to all the people of Latin America and of the world who fight against capitalism and against imperialism," he said Sunday. "This triumph, brothers and sisters, is dedicated to Fidel Castro [and] dedicated to Hugo Chavez, may he rest in peace."

Morales needed 50 percent of the vote to avoid a run-off election.

The 54-year-old leader became Bolivia's first indigenous president back in 2006. He has since proven to be a popular president, with Bolivia undergoing a lengthy period of economic growth.

Critics have accused Morales' government of corruption and authoritarianism.

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