# 1978 Bolivian general election

General elections were held in Bolivia on 9 July 1978. The elections were the first held since 1966, with several military coups taking place during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Although Juan Pereda of the Nationalist Union of the People won the presidential elections according to official statements, more votes were cast than there were registered voters. After examining a number of allegations of fraud and other irregularities, the National Electoral Court decided to annul the results on 19 July. The following day, Pereda was installed as President following a military coup. Pereda himself was overthrown by yet another military coup in November, which saw General David Padilla assume the presidency. Fresh elections were held the following year, with Padilla transferring power to his democratically elected successor, Wálter Guevara.

## Campaign

Several alliances were formed for the elections:
| Alliance | Parties |
| Democratic Alliance of National Revolution | Authentic Revolutionary Party |
| Democratic Alliance of National Revolution | Revolutionary Nationalist Movement |
| Democratic and Popular Union | Communist Party |
| Democratic and Popular Union | Leftwing Revolutionary Nationalist Movement |
| Democratic and Popular Union | Movement of the National Left |
| Democratic and Popular Union | Alliance of the National Left |
| Democratic and Popular Union | Offensive of the Democratic Left |
| Democratic and Popular Union | Popular Movement for National Liberation |
| Democratic and Popular Union | Revolutionary Left Movement |
| Democratic and Popular Union | Socialist Party–Aponte |
| Democratic and Popular Union | Tupaj Katari Revolutionary Movement |
| Nationalist Union of the People | Barrientista National Union |
| Nationalist Union of the People | Bolivian Socialist Falange |
| Nationalist Union of the People | Committee of National Unity |
| Nationalist Union of the People | Revolutionary Left Party |
Juan Pereda was supported in his presidential bid by both the Nationalist Union of the People and the Nationalist Revolutionary Movement of the People, whilst René Bernal Escalante was the candidate of both the PDC–PRB alliance and the Eastern Rural Party.

## Results

The official results were inconsistent; the reported total number of votes cast was 1,971,968, around 50,000 more than the number of registered voters (1,921,556), giving a turnout of 102.6%. However, the total of votes cast for each party and invalid votes was 1,990,671, nearly 20,000 higher than the reported total and representing a turnout of 103.6%.
| Party | Party | Presidential candidate | Votes | % |
| | Nationalist Union of the People | Juan Pereda | 986,140 | 50.90 |
| | Democratic and Popular Union | Hernán Siles Zuazo | 484,383 | 25.00 |
| | Democratic Alliance of National Revolution | Víctor Paz Estenssoro | 213,622 | 11.03 |
| | PDC–PRB | René Bernal Escalante | 167,131 | 8.63 |
| | Revolutionary Nationalist Movement of the People | Juan Pereda | 40,905 | 2.11 |
| | Revolutionary Left Front | Casiano Amurrio | 23,459 | 1.21 |
| | Indian Movement Túpac Katari | Luciano Tapia Quisbert | 12,207 | 0.63 |
| | Socialist Party | Marcelo Quiroga Santa Cruz | 8,323 | 0.43 |
| | Eastern Rural Party | René Bernal Escalante | 1,171 | 0.06 |
| Total | Total | Total | 1,937,341 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 1,937,341 | 97.32 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 53,330 | 2.68 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,971,968 | – |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 1,921,556 | 102.62 |
| Source: Nohlen |||||