BOLIVIA: RECALL REFERENDA SITREP #2 1515 EDT

UNCLAS LA PAZ 001708 SIPDIS PLEASE PASS TO S/ES; OPS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC BL SUBJECT: BOLIVIA: RECALL REFERENDA SITREP #2 1515 EDT August 10, 2008 SITUATION REPORT. This is second of several situation reports today. ¶1. (U) Voting continues in a generally peaceful and orderly fashion. Bolivia Transparente, an umbrella organization providing election observers, reports to USAID that there are isolated incidents of minor irregularities: campaigning too close to the polls and one individual with a gun who was detained by police. Isolated incidents of voter roll irregularities are also being announced, including a Cuban citizen who attempted to vote with false Bolivian identification and cases of ineligible individuals listed on the voter rolls. ¶2. (U) In the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) aligned Santa Cruz neighborhood of Plan Tres Mil, tensions are high as the autonomist Santa Cruz Youth Union arrived in response to a visit by Vice President Garcia Linera. Police are on site hoping to avoid conflicts between residents and the youth group members. ¶3. (U) Some of the earliest voting stations to close have been prisons (where the registered voters are understandably able to vote early in the day.) So far Bolivia's prison population seems to be solidly pro-Evo. GOLDBERG