Election Watch

Election Results

(October–December 2014)

Bolivia: According to official results of the presidential election held October 12, incumbent Evo Morales of the Movement to Socialism (MAS) won 61 percent of the vote, defeating his closest rival, cement ty-coon Samuel Doria Medina of the National Unity Front (UN), who won 24 percent. Jorge Quiroga of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) won 9 percent, and Juan del Granado of the progressive Movement Without Fear (MSM) and Fernando Vargas of the Green Party each received 3 percent. In elections held concurrently for the 130-seat Chamber of Deputies, MAS won 88 seats, the Democrat Unity coalition (comprising UN and the Democratic Social Movement) won 32, and the Christian Democratic Party won 9. While OAS observers commended the high level of citizen participation, they noted minor irregularities including technical and procedural difficulties that delayed the tabulation, transmission, and dissemination of results.

Bosnia-Herzegovina: In the October 12 election for the tripartite presidency, Mladen Ivanić of the opposition Party for Democratic Progress (PDP) was elected with 49 percent of the vote as the Serb member, narrowly defeating Željka Cvijanović of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), who received 48 percent. Dragan Čović of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) was elected as the Croat member of the presidency with 52 percent of the vote, beating Martin Raguž of the Croatian Democratic Union 1990 (HDZ 1990), who won 39 percent. Bakir Izetbegović of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) was reelected with 33 percent as the Bosniak member of the presidency, defeating Fahrudin Radončić of the Union for a Better Future for the BiH (SBB BiH), who won 27 percent. In concurrent elections for the 42-seat House of Representatives (where representatives from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina are allocated 28 seats, while representatives from Republika Srpska have 14 seats), the SDA won 10 seats, the SNSD won 6, and the Serb Democratic Party and the Democratic Front won 5 seats each. The SBB BiH and the HDZ BiH won 4 seats each, the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina won 3 seats, and 5 other parties each won 1 seat.

Botswana: Voting for the 57 elected seats in the National Assembly was held on October 24. The incumbent Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has been in power for more than forty years, won 37 seats, and the Assembly reelected President Ian Khama for his second five-year term. Opposition leader Duma Boko’s coalition, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), won 17 seats, and the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) won 3 seats. In the months leading up to the election, election-observer groups noted a serious escalation of political violence, intimidation of opposition candidates, and abuse of state resources by the BDP. Election observers from the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) raised concerns about the “uneven reportage towards the ruling party.”

Brazil: In the October 26 presidential runoff, incumbent Dilma Rousseff of the Workers’ Party (PT) received 52 percent of the vote, narrowly defeating her opponent, Aecio Neves of the right-leaning Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB). Turnout was officially reported to be 73 percent. In the first round on October 5, Rousseff had won 42 percent, Neves 34 percent, and former environment minister Marina Silva of the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) 21 percent. Marina Silva replaced her PSB running mate Eduardo Campos after he was killed in a plane crash. In concurrent elections for the 513-seat Chamber of Deputies, the ruling PT won 70 seats; the Party of the Brazilian Democratic Movement, 66; the PSDB, 54; the Social Democratic Party, 37; the Progressive Party, 36; the Republic Party, 34; and the PSB, 34. The remaining 182 seats went to members of 21 smaller parties.

Bulgaria: In elections held October 5 for the 240-seat National Assembly, the center-right Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), led by former prime minister Boyko Borisov, won 33 percent of the vote and 84 seats. The Socialist Party (BSP) received 15 percent and 39 seats, and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), largely supported by Bulgarians of Turkish descent...