The World : Bolivia Vote Gap Narrows

The gap between Bolivia’s two top presidential candidates appeared to narrow as rural returns from Sunday’s elections trickled into La Paz, the capital. In projections based on unofficial returns, the national television network gave former military ruler Hugo Banzer 36% of the vote. His closest rival, former President Victor Paz Estenssoro, had 27%. Banzer conceded that he will fall short of the 50% needed to avoid a runoff vote in Congress. Only a few thousand votes--all of them cast in La Paz, Banzer’s stronghold--have been officially counted.