Bolivian coca farmer Evo Morales has won enough votes in last Sunday's presidential election to win the presidency without a runoff.
Bolivian electoral authorities announced the official results Wednesday, saying Mr. Morales has 52.3 percent with 80 percent of the votes counted. His closest opponent, Jorge Quiroga, already conceded defeat to Mr. Morales, who will become Bolivia's first indigenous president.
Reactions to Sunday's vote have been coming in. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told Mr. Morales, in a letter made public Wednesday, that Bolivia has begun a new struggle for dignity and sovereignty.
Mr. Morales said Tuesday he believes the U.S. war on drugs is a veiled attempt to keep power over other countries. He promised that if elected he would be what he called a "thorn in the side" of the United States and at least partially legalize the country's coca industry.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
