Over Half of Bolivians Support Abolishing Presidential Limits

An opinion poll by IPSOS released on Wednesday showed that 54 percent of Bolivians support making constitutional amendments to eliminate presidential term limits. Such a measure would allow current President Evo Morales the opportunity to stand for re-election in 2020.

The poll found that support for the potential changes was highest in the Andean cities of El Alto and La Paz, which stood at around 68 percent and 58 percent respectively.

The current Bolivian constitution imposes presidential term limits that prevent Morales from running for a third consecutive term.

The poll comes after Bolivian senate vice-president, Nelida Sifuentes, announced Wednesday that Bolivia’s ruling political party, MAS, is currently drafting constitutional reform proposals, which would eliminate presidential term limits and facilitate Morales’ possible re-election in 2020.

However, MAS President Alberto Gonzalez stated that any changes to the constitution must be approved via public referendum, which is likely to be held in 2016.

"What must happen first is that there must be a referendum. So, the president cannot be reelected if it does not pass through a referendum,” Gonzales stated.

If approved by popular vote, the proposed amendments would then be sent to the Bolivian National Assembly for final approval.

The Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) is by far the most powerful in the legislature, enjoying a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress combined, which would be sufficient to amend the constitution should it wish to do so.

Morales, Bolivia's longest-serving president since independence in 1825, received 60 percent of the vote in 2014.

The most recent Latin American country to eliminate presidential term limits was Nicaragua in January 2014.