Bolivia's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) on Thursday announced a series of measures to ensure citizens will be able to safely cast their votes in the Oct. 18 general elections, amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
To strengthen social distancing between people, officials increased the number of voting stations and extended the voting day to nine hours, among other measures, the TSE's president, Salvador Romero, told reporters.
The TSE said it assessed the number of voters per polling station and identified 502 as having the potential for crowding, so additional venues close by were found, raising the initial number of stations from 5,134 to 5,368.
Voters' identity numbers will determine during which hours of the day they can vote to minimize crowding, he said.
"The health safety measures aim to guarantee the health of all the participants in the electoral process and guarantee the safe exercise of political rights," said Romero.
Bolivians head to the polls again after the outcome of last year's October elections was annulled due to alleged irregularities, with the conservative opposition leading an interim government.