Morales won a third term in 2014, becoming the longest-serving president in Bolivian history. In 2016, he proposed a constitutional amendment in order to let him run for a fourth term, but it was narrowly defeated in a referendum. However, the Constitutional Court ruled that term limits contravened the American Convention on Human Rights, thus allowing Morales to run for a fourth term. In 2019, Morales claimed victory in the first round of the presidential election, but was forced to step down after allegations of election irregularities resulted in nationwide protests. He was succeeded by Jeanine Áñez, an opposition lawmaker. New elections, which were originally scheduled to occur in May 2020, were postponed to October, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Luis Arce, a longtime minister in Morales' government, defeated former president Carlos Mesa in a landslide, ending Morales' exile.