Bolivia elections: President Evo Morales may have to face second round

President is ahead in early counting but could be vulnerable to a united opposition in a runoff

Bolivia's president, Evo Morales, was ahead in the first round of the nation's presidential election, but he appeared to have failed to get enough votes to avoid a runoff in the tightest political race of his life.

The Andean country's top electoral authority said on Sunday night that a preliminary count of 84% of the votes showed Morales, who leads the Movement towards Socialism (MAS) party, was ahead with 45.3%, compared to 38.2% for his closest rival, former president, Carlos Mesa. If the results hold, the two men will face off in December and Morales could be vulnerable to a united opposition in the first runoff in his nearly 14 years in power.