Election Day

This past Sunday was a historic day in Bolivia. Everyone knew that the current president, Evo Morales, would win, but the question was, by how much? Election day is always a Sunday here, no cars are allowed, no alcohol can be sold, and everyone is required to vote. Since we can't vote and were going to be stuck in our house all day because you can't go anywhere, the night before we went over to a friend's house who lives a little outside the city to relax for a day. On Sunday afternoon we played dominoes and listened to the results come in on the radio, and what we heard was surprising, but at the same time it wasn't. Evo won with over 62% of the vote and his party one the 2/3 majority in both chambers of congress (now according to the new constitution under which these are the first elections, the Congress is now called the Plurinational Assembly of which at least 1/3 of the representatives must be indigenous) which is what you need to pass a law or place judges or cabinet members without chance of veto. So basically Evo has all the power to do what he wants for the next 5 years. In Bolivia, as in many countries here, the president and congress are voted for at the same time and have the same length term, so there is no mid-term election to help balance the president's actions like in our country.
So will Evo go crazy and get on some big power trip? A lot of the opposition says it's not "democratic" to have all the power in one party, but they were elected democratically, and by a much higher margin than the last term. In 2006 Evo came to power by winning 53.4% of the popular vote-- the first time in Bolivian history that a president won by outright majority in the first round of elections. You have to remember that it's not like in our country where you are basically voting for 2 different candidates. For example, on Sunday there were 8 candidates on the ballot for president. So getting half the vote is a big deal. And now the gap has grown even bigger, with Evo winning in departments that he had lost in in the last elections. His popularity is obviously growing, so he must be doing something right, right? But I do not think that he will abuse his power. Evo is too smart for that. I think he realizes, as does the rest of the country, that while winning by such a majority gives him freedom to act as he wishes, it also comes with the responsibility of doing what the people wish since they put him there. Also, if he does do a good job and his popularity continues to grow, the question five years from now will be will he let the democratic process do its thing and will he step down, since he will not be eligible for another term. I'm pretty confident that Evo will do well, especially since he feels mandated by the people to bring about the change they have been waiting for. Although it is hard to tell what absolute power will do to Bolivia's president.