Posted on 12/18/2005 9:44:51 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
COCHABAMBA, Bolivia — Evo Morales, the socialist coca farmer who would be Bolivia's first Indian president, appeared poised to join the ranks of like-minded leaders who have pushed Latin America's democracies to the left in recent years.
With exit polls running strongly in his favor, Morales took an early congratulatory phone call from Venezuela's belligerently anti-American president Hugo Chavez.
At a party at Morales' home in Cochabamba, his supporters toasted as the candidate announced that Chavez planned to contact Cuba's Fidel Castro.
Said Morales of Chavez: "He's going to tell Fidel the good news" _ eliciting laughs from those nearby.
Morales has promised to be "Washington's nightmare," indicating he would exercise more state control over South America's second-largest natural gas reserves and bring an end to U.S.-backed coca eradication efforts.
A Morales presidency in Bolivia would signal further movement to the political left among Latin America's democracies. The political shift has brought leaders ranging from Chavez in Venezuela to the moderate center-left presidents of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile.
A major factor in each of those elections has been voters' frustration with free-market economic policies of the past decade to do more to alleviate entrenched poverty in the continent of more than 400 million people.
Recently elected leaders have rejected U.S.-backed initiatives including a hemisphere wide free-trade zone in favor of smaller trade, energy and business alliances in the name of South American unity.
But Morales would face the additional challenge of simply holding the country together. More affluent regions of the county with new natural gas reserves have threatened to secede.
Two exit polls projected Morales was leading his conservative rival, former President Jorge Quiroga, by more than 10 percentage points, making it likely he would be named president by Bolivia's congress. On Sunday, he thanked supporters for what he called his "great triumph," but tempered that by saying he would await official results confirming the outcome.
At his single-story home off a dirt road in Cochabamba, near the coca-growing region where he built his political movement, Morales said he was feeling "Good, but I'm a little nervous."
He prayed before a photograph of his late father, a miner who raised Morales' family in poverty, and joined a close circle of friends for a beef barbecue and boiled small potatoes, as cheerful supporters passed around rum-and-cola drinks.
On Sunday night, the crowd around Morales remained somewhat muted as the smiling candidate, wearing black jeans and sandals, joked with friends. Official results were not expected until Monday or Tuesday.
Morales said, in addition to Chavez, he received congratulatory calls from center-left President Nestor Kirchner of Argentina as well as a representative from the government of Brazilian leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
How did we let this sh*t happen? We'll have more illegals here every day because of these commies.
I thought Cold War I was supposed to have ended when Ronaldus Magnus brought the USSR down.
Looks like communism is having more success in South America without the USSR than it did with them.
It's the freakin' Comintern all over again.
I believe it is the Chinese trying to get control of the oil and natural gas from the region.
I guess Russia and China were supporting these idiots in the dark, just like they did in the past.
Good comment.
BARF ALERT. The Thug of Caracas celebrates tonight.
Way stupid!
Fidel is a hero only to these louses.
I hope they enjoy their present standing, on the wrong side of history, because it won't last for long.
The fence will need to be longer and higher.
South America deservingly is getting institutionalized...but by nuts with a lot of hate.
I don't understand why we cannot get someone decent down there.
I don't understand why we cannot get someone decent down there.
They're simply not bright enough. The only thing they know is "you got it, I want it".
How any of it was created doesn't matter. It might as well have come into existence by magic.
Another one to add to the "take out" list.
zznow we've got an idiot who wants to legalize the fundamental development of cocaine. Nice industry and policy ... not only are we going to have a ton of additional illegal immigrants, but they'll be coming in with coke habits.
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By ignoring Latin America or when we were engaged by acting as if it were still the fifties.
This is the big story of the day. Let's see who talks about it.
btw...more illegals here is not what will happen nor is it what we should be worried about because of this.
The PEOPLE of Bolivia have spoken, I guess it's time for everyone to live with the results. Let's put on a HAPPY face. How can we SERVE them.
I think we need to start kicking butt and putting in the people we want to see elected. Oh wait, we already did that and Latin Amercia in general is going more socialist than ever. Send in the troops?
Whats with these people?
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