Evo Morales Wins Presidency in Bolivia

With a little over 51% of the vote, Evo Morales will become Bolivia's first indigenous president in 180 years of independence. From the Washington Post:

The sweeping if unofficial victory of Evo Morales in Bolivia's presidential election Sunday has made the former coca farmer and grass-roots activist the nation's strongest elected leader since the end of the last military dictatorship in 1982 and has given him an unprecedented opportunity to transform the impoverished Andean country...Morales, 46, is a fiery politician and an Aymara Indian who electrified Bolivia's poor but struck fear into the business elite and irritated officials in Washington by opposing U.S. anti-drug programs and spouting anti-imperialist rhetoric.

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During the campaign, U.S. officials tried to demonize Morales as a crazy leftist, but now we will see how he actually proceeds. For more analysis on how Bolivia's new president will govern check out the following articles:

After win, Morales faces tough task from the Christian Science Monitor

New Bolivian leader poses challenge to US policy via Reuters

--Tom Hayes