Evo Morales sets record as longest serving Bolivian president

Bolivian President Evo Morales on Wednesday launched two days' celebrations in commemoration of himself being the longest-serving uninterrupted president in the country.

Wednesday saw Morales, Bolivia's first indigenous president, in power for nine years, eight months and 27 days, surpassing the term of independence hero Andres de Santa Cruz, who governed the country from 1829 to 1839. He's still short of the overall mark set by Victor Paz Estenssoro, who spent 12 years in office during three separate presidential terms.

Morales spoke after a traditional Aymara religious ceremony was performed in Tiwanaku, a pre-Inca site near Lake Titicaca, where he first became president in 2006. In his speech, Morales hailed the "process of change" that Bolivia has seen over the last nine years and thanked the people of Bolivia who have helped him remain in power.

The current term of Morales will end in 2020, but a referendum to be held February 21, 2016, will determine whether he should be allowed to run for another five-year term that could take his presidency into 2025. Endit