Protests over a disputed presidential election roiled Bolivia, Tuesday, October 29, as police fired tear gas in the capital, and the sitting president and opposition candidate wrestled over an audit of the results.
Demonstrators blocked roads and manned barricades across wide swaths of the mostly-shuttered city. AFP reports confrontations between rival groups sparked fisticuffs and stone throwing in one neighborhood, prompting police to fire tear gas to quell the unrest.
Protests began after Bolivia's Supreme Electoral Tribunal suspended the publication of results from the country's Oct. 20 presidential election. Before the pause, partial results showed Morales likely heading to a runoff with former president Carlos Mesa. When reporting resumed a day later, Morales' percentage of the vote had increased above a critical threshold.
According to official results, Morales won 47% of the vote to Mesa's 35.5%, just above the 10-point lead needed to avoid a runoff and claim another five-year term as president.
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