Bolivia president feels election heat amid anger over wildfires
Polls suggest Evo Morales may face a run-off vote after being blamed for devastating blazes
Heavy rains have all but extinguished the wildfires that tore through the dry forests of eastern Bolivia for nearly two months. But, with national elections approaching, recriminations over the blazes have added fuel to the region’s combustible political situation.
According to figures from the government of the Santa Cruz department, more than 4 million hectares (9.9 million acres) of forest and arable land – an area almost as large as Switzerland – have been ravaged by the fires.