Bolivia's Morales ends hunger strike over election

2009-04-15 05:30:16  

    LA PAZ, April 14 (Xinhua) --

Bolivian President Evo Morales ended a five-day hunger strike on Tuesday, after the congress approved a law allowing him to run for re-election.

    The new law will allow Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president, to be a presidential candidate again in the general elections to be held on Dec. 6.

    Morales started fasting on Thursday in the government palace as a response after the opposition lawmakers walked out of the congress earlier the day during a debate on the electoral law.

    The opposition rejected the law because it would give 14 seats in the congress to minority indigenous groups.

    However, those changes were included in the new Constitution overwhelmingly approved in a referendum in January.

    The new constitution calls for the congress to approve the new electoral law before April 9 and ratify Dec. 6 as the date for the next general election.

    The political forces in the South American nation finally reached a compromise early morning on Tuesday to reserve seven seats for the indigenous people in the 130-seat lower of house of the congress.

    The agreement also granted voting to Bolivians living abroad, potentially adding about 300,000 new voters.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

Bolivian president ends hunger strike

April 14, 2009 at 8:25 PM

LA PAZ, Bolivia, April 14 (UPI) --

Bolivian President Evo Morales has ended a five-day-long hunger strike after lawmakers agreed to allow him to run for a second term in December.

Mercopress reported Tuesday that the new law also gives Bolivia's indigenous communities rights to territory and their own systems of justice.

Morales went on a hunger strike after opposition politicians stalled the bill's passage, the news service reported.

Critics say the law would give 14 congressional seats to indigenous groups, which would essentially give them a political edge.

Opposition lawmakers also wanted to replace Bolivia's manual voter registration system with a digitized biometric system using fingerprints, photographs and other personal data.

"We consider it wise of the president to recognize the new registry," Senate President and the opposition Podemos member Oscar Ortiz. "It's a measure that is going to strengthen Bolivia's democracy."