Evo Morales, the longest-serving president in South America, is seeking a controversial fourth term in Bolivia's elections on Sunday. But polls suggest the leftist indigenous leader has a tough fight ahead of him.
Since sweeping to power in 2006 with his Movement to Socialism party, the country's first indigenous leader has overseen a period of unprecedented political and economic stability. But his popularity has waned in recent years amid corruption scandals and allegations of authoritarianism.
Although Morales, 59, is projected to win the most votes, he's unlikely to secure a majority — something he comfortably achieved in the previous three general elections. The latest opinion poll suggests he'll get around 32% of the vote, with his closest challenger, Carlos Mesa, on 27%.
Mesa, a 66-year-old journalist and historian who was president from 2003-2005, has campaigned on a platform of boosting environmental protection, strengthening democratic institutions and tackling corruption.
If no candidate gets 40% of the vote with a lead of at least 10 points, the election will go to a second-round runoff on December 15.
Morales, the son of impoverished Aymara shepherds, is the longest-serving president in Bolivia's history. During his 13 years in office, he has used revenue from the Andean country's vast natural resources to fund welfare programs and public works projects and lift millions out of poverty.
A limit of two consecutive presidential terms is stipulated in Bolivia's 2009 constitution, which was promulgated by Morales himself. In a 2016 referendum, voters rejected his attempt to scrap term limits. The country's top court — seen by critics as being stacked with Morales loyalists — then dismissed the result and ruled that Morales had the right to run again.
Morales has also been criticized over wildfires in August and September that destroyed large tracts of rainforest and grassland.
Some 7.3 million Bolivians are eligible to vote in Sunday's election. They will also be choosing candidates for the country's 166-seat congress.
Polls opened at 8:00 a.m. local time (1200 GMT) and closed at 4:00 p.m.
Burning across the border: Fires rage in Bolivia
The Amazon is burning, but not just in Brazil. In the Chiquitania region of Bolivia, firefighters have risked their lives to combat fires in the dry forest and farmland in the countryside.
Image: DW/Juan Gabriel Estellano
Scorched earth
According to official numbers, wildfires have burned through more than 1 million hectares of dry forest and farmland in Bolivia. In the area of Santa Rosa de Tucabaca in the country's eastern Chiquitania region, the fires have raged for over a month, threatening indigenous populations and devastating Bolivia's rich biodiversity.
Image: DW/Juan Gabriel Estellano
An ominous glow
Out-of-control wildfires light up the night sky. The unique Chiquitania region — characterized by both savannah and forest — experienced a severe drought this year. It's common practice for farmers to start small, easily-monitored fires during the months of July and August to prepare the soil for the next harvest. But many have quickly spread this season and morphed into wildfires.
Image: DW/Juan Gabriel Estellano
Slash-and-burn
Areas of forest which have already been cut down are more likely to catch alight. Many of the fires in Bolivia were started by small farmers after President Evo Morales passed legislation in July that encourages slash-and-burn farming to open up new land for agricultural use. Morales has been accused of pushing populist policies and failing to act quickly to contain the wildfires.
Image: DW/Juan Gabriel Estellano
A growing disaster
The fires are still expanding through the Chiquitania region. Indigenous people have been affected, including the Chiquitanos and the Ayoreos peoples, who produce citrus fruits, beans, rice, and corn.
Image: DW/Juan Gabriel Estellano
Losing livelihoods
Vania Montenegro Aranibar (39) is a local farmer from the village of Peniel, where she cultivates lemons, passion fruits and avocados. The fire quickly surrounded her property, destroying her fields and killing her ducks. "They died in half an hour because their feathers caught on fire," she told DW. "I'm very sad how many animals must have been burned, how many species, trees."
Image: DW/Juan Gabriel Estellano
Nowhere to run
This anteater was just one of countless animals caught in the fires which passed through the area of Chochis. Firefighters on the ground have described heartbreaking scenes of terrified animals fleeing from the flames, including armadillos, snakes, tapirs and jaguars. Those who survived are now at risk of starvation due to the lack of food and water.
Image: DW/Juan Gabriel Estellano
Fighting back
Firefighters Moises Soria Valverde and Ronald Picolomini visit a badly affected area in Santa Rosa de Tucabaca. Alongside other firefighters, they are helping with efforts to try and control the massive wildfires. They cut through the dense forest with machetes and try to extinguish the flames with 20 liter water tanks on their backs. But the battle still feels like an impossible fight.
Image: DW/Juan Gabriel Estellano
Impossible to reach
Outside of the village of Robore, the wildfires have now spread to areas mostly inaccessible to firefighters. The Chiquitano dry forests are part of an ecoregion connecting the tropical Amazon biome with the semiarid Gran Chaco region, which stretches into western Paraguay, northern Argentina and part of Brazil.
