1951 Bolivian general election
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General elections were held in Bolivia on 6 May 1951.[1] Víctor Paz Estenssoro of the opposition Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR) received the most votes in the presidential election, but as he did not obtain an absolute majority, the National Congress was constitutionally obliged to elect a President on 6 August from the three candidates who received the most public votes. However, on 16 May a military junta assumed responsibility for the Government with Brigadier General Hugo Ballivián as president.
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6 May 1951
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| Registered | 204,649 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Presidential election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The National Congress was ultimately dissolved by Supreme Decree of 7 June 1951, which annulled the results of the elections.[2] Paz Estenssoro went into exile until 1952 when the Bolivian National Revolution enabled him to take office as president.[3]
Electoral system
Until 1956, Bolivia did not have universal suffrage. Rather, the country operated under the "qualified vote" system in which deputies elected in parish and provincial boards then voted in general elections.[4] Under this system, ballots for president and vice president were separate resulting in different vote totals for each.
Campaign
The Republican Socialist Unity Party (PURS) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) formed the Social Democratic Action alliance to contest the election, with Gabriel Gosalvez of PURS running for president and Roberto Arce of the PSD running for vice-president.
Results
President
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Víctor Paz Estenssoro | Revolutionary Nationalist Movement | 54,129 | 42.92 | |
| Gabriel Gosálvez | Republican Socialist Unity Party | 40,381 | 32.02 | |
| Bernardino Bilbao Rioja | Bolivian Socialist Falange | 13,259 | 10.51 | |
| Guillermo Gutiérrez Vea Murguía | Bolivian Civic Action | 6,654 | 5.28 | |
| Tomás Manuel Elío | Liberal Party | 6,530 | 5.18 | |
| José Antonio Arze | Revolutionary Left Party | 5,170 | 4.10 | |
| Total | 126,123 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 204,649 | – | ||
| Source: Nohlen | ||||
Vice-President
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hernán Siles Zuazo | Revolutionary Nationalist Movement | 52,602 | 43.25 | |
| Roberto Arce | Social Democratic Party | 38,202 | 31.41 | |
| Alfredo Flores | Bolivian Socialist Falange | 12,397 | 10.19 | |
| Julio Salmón | Bolivian Civic Action | 6,778 | 5.57 | |
| Bailón Mercado | Liberal Party | 6,558 | 5.39 | |
| Abelardo Villalpando Retamozo | Revolutionary Left Party | 5,093 | 4.19 | |
| Total | 121,630 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 204,649 | – | ||
| Source: OEP[5] | ||||