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Voters reject amending Article 168 so Morales could run again

On 21 February 2016 Bolivia held a constitutional referendum on amending Article 168 so that the president and vice-president could be re-elected twice consecutively. Valid votes: 2,682,517 NO (51.30%) and 2,546,135 YES (48.70%), turnout 84.45%. In the causal graph this event weakens Electoral Integrity and Competitiveness, a driver that strengthens Having a say in government — a worsening welfare path.

Voters reject amending Article 168 so Morales could run again

Sources: [1][2]

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On 21 February 2016 Bolivia held a constitutional referendum on amending Article 168 so that the president and vice-president could be re-elected twice consecutively. Valid votes: 2,682,517 NO (51.30%) and 2,546,135 YES (48.70%), turnout 84.45%. OAS observed.

Context

He was already in a third term counting the pre-2009 mandate. García Linera was on the same ticket question. He did not sit as every precinct printer.

2009 constitution is parent. 28 November 2017 TCP is the override child. Keep Voters reject amending Article 168 so Morales could run again on 2016-02-21 separate from neighbouring 21 February 2016 referendum, 28 November 2017 TCP 0084/2017, 10 November 2019 resignation, 14 November 2024 TCP MAS resolution, and 31 March 2025 EVO Pueblo.

The president of Bolivia was head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief until November 2019. A living former president can convene a party congress and call blockades. He does not sit as a TCP magistrate, a TSE precinct printer, or an OAS auditor.

Why it matters

The path is electoral integrity: a completed popular NO on a further consecutive term.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • Evo Morales

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    verified

    TSE counted. He campaigned YES. Voters chose NO. OAS observed.

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.morales-parallel-mas observation 2016-02-21Órgano Electoral Plurinacional of Bolivia · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Órgano Electoral Plurinacional — 17 August 2025 general-election result neighbourhoodÓrgano Electoral Plurinacional of Bolivia · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish

Órgano Electoral Plurinacional of Bolivia carries the official instrument or communique. Organization of American States records the same dated act independently.

Established: Voters rejected the Article 168 amendment on 21 February 2016, 51.3% to 48.7%, with OAS observation.

Not established: A unique later turnout coefficient, or that the 2017 TCP erases this Sunday.

He campaigned YES. Voters chose NO. OAS observed.. A later repeal, court stay, or successor order would be a different Fact with a different date. That pair identifies Voters reject amending Article 168 so Morales could run again, not a later speech about Voters reject amending Article 168 so Morales could run again.

Co-authors and later implementers named in Context remain on the file. If a later repeal, stay, or successor instrument exists, it needs its own date and its own row. The contribution described on this Person row is limited to TSE counted. He campaigned YES. Voters chose NO. OAS observed. That limit is the alternative to treating office-holding as authorship of every later series.

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorEvo Morales
  2. contributed toFactVoters reject amending Article 168 so Morales could run again
  3. weakensDrivers (2)Electoral Integrity and Competitiveness
  4. strengthensIndicatorHaving a say in government

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). Voters reject amending Article 168 so Morales could run again. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/bo-morales-referendum-2016

https://factrail.ai/facts/bo-morales-referendum-2016

Accessed 15 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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