Evo Morales claims win in Bolivia election

President Evo Morales appeared to have won a sweeping victory Sunday in a nationwide recall election that the leftist chief of state crafted as a means of consolidating support against fierce conservative opposition, writes the L.A. Times' Patrick J. McDonnell.

Incomplete unofficial results based on quick counts at polling places indicated that 56% to 63% of voters cast ballots in favor of Morales and Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, according to local television stations.

Those totals easily exceeded the 46.3% that the president needed to stay in office. The reported vote also surpassed the 53.7% that the president garnered when elected in December 2005.

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-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City