Bolivians have voted in a presidential election that may hand power to their first Indian leader.
Opinion polls ahead of the presidential race gave leftist Evo Morales a six-point lead over ex-president Jorge Quiroga, but indicated Morales would fall well short of the 50% needed to win outright.
Mr Morales, 46, has reiterated his pledge to increase state controls over Bolivia's key gas resources and to protect coca plantations.
The green leaf is the base ingredient of cocaine, but is also popular with indigenous people, who chew it and use it in traditional ceremonies.
Morales said that if elected, his government would co-operate closely with other 'anti-imperialists' in the region, particularly Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Cuban President Fidel Castro.
Protests over voter registries
As polls closed, hundreds of people protested that they had been unable to cast their ballots because their names were removed from voter registries.
About 3.6 million voters were eligible to cast ballots in elections that will also renew the 130 deputies and 27 senators of the legislature.
The newly-elected lawmakers may be the ones who will end up picking the president. Should none of the candidates get 50% of the vote, congress will decide which of the top two candidates will become the new president.
That could create yet more political uncertainty in Bolivia, which has seen two presidents forced from power since 2002.
Mr Morales has led popular protests over social and economic policies and played a key role in the collapse of two governments. His campaign was marked by anti-US slogans.
Should he be elected, Morales would become the first indigenous president in a country whose political system has been dominated for centuries by descendants of European immigrants.
