Evo Morales

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. Partial unofficial results based on quick counts at polling places indicated that between 56% and 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.

Bolivian President Evo Morales suspended operations by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Saturday after accusing the agency of aiding "criminal groups" that oppose his rule. Morales' move was the latest sign of the deterioration in relations between his leftist government and Washington.

Embattled President Evo Morales launched his second year in office this week, mocking his political opponents and vowing that "this Indian is going to be around for a while." But recent turmoil in this city long regarded as a bastion of support for Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president, has raised new questions about his leftist government's ability to serve out its five-year mandate. Days of protests culminated Jan.

Bolivian President Evo Morales fired a longtime ally and Cabinet minister after photos appeared that purportedly showed him partially unclothed, embracing a prostitute. Presidential spokesman Alex Contreras issued a terse statement saying that Abel Mamani had been fired. He did not give further details. It was not clear where or when the photos were taken. Mamani did not immediately comment.

Defying an opposition boycott, Bolivia's constitutional assembly approved a charter that would empower the nation's indigenous majority and let President Evo Morales run for reelection indefinitely. The new constitution must be approved by Bolivians in a national referendum. No date has been set, and it is not expected to be held until September 2008. Opposition leaders vowed to launch protests and legal challenges to the new document, which they say does not represent all Bolivians.

Tens of thousands of people celebrated their self-declared "autonomy" and rejection of President Evo Morales' leftist reforms by marching through the streets here Saturday. At the same time, in the highland capital of La Paz, Morales symbolically received a copy of the disputed new constitution as thousands of his supporters paraded through the streets.

The graffiti on the walls of this verdant city tell a story of rebellion. "Resistance!" urges one slogan. "We Will Defend Our Freedom!" declares another. And this: "Evo Dies in Santa Cruz." That would be President Evo Morales, who, in the chilly Andean administrative capital, La Paz, has his own message for these defiant lowlands. "They want to divide Bolivia, but we won't let them!" Morales told thousands of cheering supporters this month.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez promised visiting Bolivian President-elect Evo Morales fuel, economic cooperation and backing for coca leaf farmers. Chavez and Morales, a former coca leaf farmer, have antagonized the U.S. government with their alliance with Cuba and promotion of leftist cooperation to counter U.S. market policies in Latin America.

It may have been laughed at by \o7fashionistas\f7 worldwide, but Evo Morales' striped sweater has become a must-have item for those eager to emulate Bolivia's president-elect and his refusal to don the traditional Western suit and tie for meetings. Bolivian knitwear company Punto Blanco said it planned to manufacture 800 striped pullovers based on the model Morales wore in meetings with world leaders such as Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Bolivian President-elect Evo Morales, a leftist critic of the U.S., and Washington's top official for Latin America pledged to work together at a meeting. Thomas A. Shannon, the U.S. assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs, called his first encounter with Morales "very important" and wished him success on the eve of today's inauguration.