'There are some who want to annul our vote' - Rodrigo Paz urges supporters to 'protect the vote' during El Alto rally

'There are some who want to annul our vote' - Rodrigo Paz urges supporters to 'protect the vote' during El Alto rally

"Christian Democratic Party (PDC)'s presidential candidate Rodrigo Paz called on his supporters to 'protect the vote' during his closing rally in El Alto on Saturday. "We have to help the Supreme Electoral Tribunal," Paz stressed. "We vote and watch, because there are some who, if the little line is wrong, want to annul our vote. They want to annul the polling stations." Footage shows Paz participating in a symbolic ceremony, where he was presented with a ceremonial staff and had a floral garland. Meanwhile, hundreds of his supporters can be seen rallying with flags and banners. Addressing recent polls indicating Alianza Libre's Jorge 'Tuto' Quiroga as the frontrunner, Paza stressed that the 'only poll that matters' is on October 19 - election day. "Let the polls say what they say, but the only poll that matters in Bolivia is on October 19, [...] where the people will say: never again with the past, never again for those who have governed 20, 30, 40 years," he declared. Paz also reaffirmed his commitment to shutting down the 'corrupt' National Customs of Bolivia, vowing to replace it with a new institution that will serve the public interest rather than function as a hub 'of corruption.' "The same with the tax system, which does nothing but persecute Bolivian entrepreneurs, both formal and informal; we will reform that as well," he added. Former Bolivian Police captain Edmand Lara - Paz's vice-presidential running mate - was absent from the campaign's closing event in El Alto, citing his wife's medical obligations in a message shared on social media. In the first round of elections held on August 17, Rodrigo Paz moved from the bottom of the polls to first place with 32 percent of the vote, ahead of former president Jorge 'Tuto' Quiroga, who obtained 26.70 percent of the vote. The runoff election, scheduled for October 19, will pit the PDC - led by Paz and Lara -against the Libre Alliance, headed by Quiroga and his vice-presidential candidate, tech entrepreneur Juan Pablo Velasco. Both parties will conclude their national campaigns on Wednesday, October 15, with the PDC hosting its final rally in Tarija, while the Libre Alliance wraps up in La Paz."

'There are some who want to annul our vote' - Rodrigo Paz urges supporters to 'protect the vote' during El Alto rally

'There are some who want to annul our vote' - Rodrigo Paz urges supporters to 'protect the vote' during El Alto rally

"Christian Democratic Party (PDC)'s presidential candidate Rodrigo Paz called on his supporters to 'protect the vote' during his closing rally in El Alto on Saturday. "We have to help the Supreme Electoral Tribunal," Paz stressed. "We vote and watch, because there are some who, if the little line is wrong, want to annul our vote. They want to annul the polling stations." Footage shows Paz participating in a symbolic ceremony, where he was presented with a ceremonial staff and had a floral garland. Meanwhile, hundreds of his supporters can be seen rallying with flags and banners. Addressing recent polls indicating Alianza Libre's Jorge 'Tuto' Quiroga as the frontrunner, Paza stressed that the 'only poll that matters' is on October 19 - election day. "Let the polls say what they say, but the only poll that matters in Bolivia is on October 19, [...] where the people will say: never again with the past, never again for those who have governed 20, 30, 40 years," he declared. Paz also reaffirmed his commitment to shutting down the 'corrupt' National Customs of Bolivia, vowing to replace it with a new institution that will serve the public interest rather than function as a hub 'of corruption.' "The same with the tax system, which does nothing but persecute Bolivian entrepreneurs, both formal and informal; we will reform that as well," he added. Former Bolivian Police captain Edmand Lara - Paz's vice-presidential running mate - was absent from the campaign's closing event in El Alto, citing his wife's medical obligations in a message shared on social media. In the first round of elections held on August 17, Rodrigo Paz moved from the bottom of the polls to first place with 32 percent of the vote, ahead of former president Jorge 'Tuto' Quiroga, who obtained 26.70 percent of the vote. The runoff election, scheduled for October 19, will pit the PDC - led by Paz and Lara -against the Libre Alliance, headed by Quiroga and his vice-presidential candidate, tech entrepreneur Juan Pablo Velasco. Both parties will conclude their national campaigns on Wednesday, October 15, with the PDC hosting its final rally in Tarija, while the Libre Alliance wraps up in La Paz."

'Freedom in Gaza must be respected' - Protesters march through Santiago to demand full enforcement of Israel-Hamas ceasefire

'Freedom in Gaza must be respected' - Protesters march through Santiago to demand full enforcement of Israel-Hamas ceasefire

"Pro-Palestine demonstrators took to the streets of Santiago a day after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire came into effect to demand that the US-brokered deal be completely implemented and upheld. Footage filmed on Saturday shows protesters marching through the Chilean capital with Palestinian flags, signs and banners reading, 'Save Palestine' and 'national strike now!' "We have to help ensure that all agreements are fulfilled, and that rights and freedom in Gaza are respected. The door of that prison [the Gaza Strip] must be opened. Food must enter and freedom must be realised in Gaza," one protester demanded. Another protester called for international reporters to be allowed into the enclave, citing the deaths of more than 200 Gazan journalists killed during the war. The first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into force on Friday, covering a ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, as well as an Israeli withdrawal to the 'yellow line', a boundary limit within Gaza. The truce forms part of US President Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza peace proposal, unveiled on September 29 alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The plan also permits the delivery of 'full humanitarian aid' to Gaza, offers amnesty to Hamas members who commit to peace, and allows safe passage for others. Additionally, it affirms that 'no one will be forced to leave' the Strip."

'Freedom in Gaza must be respected' - Protesters march through Santiago to demand full enforcement of Israel-Hamas ceasefire

'Freedom in Gaza must be respected' - Protesters march through Santiago to demand full enforcement of Israel-Hamas ceasefire

"Pro-Palestine demonstrators took to the streets of Santiago a day after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire came into effect to demand that the US-brokered deal be completely implemented and upheld. Footage filmed on Saturday shows protesters marching through the Chilean capital with Palestinian flags, signs and banners reading, 'Save Palestine' and 'national strike now!' "We have to help ensure that all agreements are fulfilled, and that rights and freedom in Gaza are respected. The door of that prison [the Gaza Strip] must be opened. Food must enter and freedom must be realised in Gaza," one protester demanded. Another protester called for international reporters to be allowed into the enclave, citing the deaths of more than 200 Gazan journalists killed during the war. The first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into force on Friday, covering a ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, as well as an Israeli withdrawal to the 'yellow line', a boundary limit within Gaza. The truce forms part of US President Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza peace proposal, unveiled on September 29 alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The plan also permits the delivery of 'full humanitarian aid' to Gaza, offers amnesty to Hamas members who commit to peace, and allows safe passage for others. Additionally, it affirms that 'no one will be forced to leave' the Strip."