Bolivian President Evo Morales cast his vote yesterday in a national electoral turnout virtually certain to back him and his Movement Towards Socialism party in an electoral landslide.

Mr Morales, who came to prominence through organising mass activity against water privatisation, remains hugely popular because of his anti-poverty policies.

The former coca growers’ union leader has prioritised looking after the youngest and oldest in society, investing in education and pensions for the elderly.

Half a million people have put poverty behind them because of his judicious husbandry of the country’s natural gas and mineral wealth.

Since he took office in 2006, export revenues have increased nine-fold, the country has accumulated $15.5 billion (£9.64bn) in international reserves and economic growth has averaged 5 per cent annually, well above the regional average.

A native Aymara, he has switched political priorities from the relatively well-off European communities of the eastern lowlands to the indigenous people of the poorer wind-swept plateau.

Opinion polls indicate that he will defeat by about 40 points the closest of four challengers, cement and fast-food businessman Samuel Doria Medina, and win all nine Bolivian states.

His supporters want him to match or surpass the 64 per cent share of the vote he won in 2009, thereby maintaining a two-thirds control of both houses of congress.

That would enable him to amend the constitution, which restricts presidents to two five-year terms, so he could possibly run again.

He was cleared last year to run for a third term because his first occurred before a constitutional revision.