Instead, the results pointed to an unexpected urgency for one of Latin America's most visible and outspoken new leftist leaders to build domestic alliances and engage in dialogue.

A chief executive who has reveled in confrontation will be obliged to seek conciliation. Many here call it a good thing in a deeply divided nation where many fear Morales is heading down the autocratic path of Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, his political mentor and adviser.

"It's a positive sign for democracy that the government is obligated to make pacts," said Carlos Toranzo, a political analyst here. "With these results, it is clear that there will not be a constitution 'a la Chávez.' "

Morales, who took office less than six months ago, aggressively pushed for Sunday's national vote to elect a new assembly tasked with rewriting the constitution. To many, his actions mirrored Chávez's convening in 1999 of a constitutional assembly that ultimately bolstered executive clout in Caracas.

"The danger of the imposition of unilateral viewpoints has diminished," said Samuel Doria Medina, a Bolivian businessman and leader of the opposition National Unity party.

Official electoral results were still trickling in Monday, but unofficial counts accepted by all parties gave Morales' party about 135 delegates, representing less than half of the 277-member constitutional body. Morales had predicted a crushing victory of up to 80 percent.

The president and his allies were seeking deals Monday with smaller parties in an attempt to garner the two-thirds majority needed to dominate the assembly, which convenes Aug. 6 in the colonial city of Sucre. Morales has vowed an opening party rivaling his inauguration bash.

Meanwhile, four of Bolivia's nine provinces voted for autonomy, in a direct slap at the policies of Morales, who urged Bolivians to reject the autonomy referendum. It is still unclear, however, if those four provinces will win any measure of autonomy under the new constitution. Two of the pro-autonomy provinces, Santa Cruz and Tarija, contain much of the nation's vast natural-gas reserves, this impoverished nation's most lucrative export. The two other pro-autonomy provinces, Beni and Pando, encompass vast Amazonian regions rich in natural resources.

The president vowed to respect autonomy advocates from the gas-rich lowlands, where many revile him, and said autonomy would be part of the constitutional discussion.

Political compromise, however, may not be an easy task for the pugnacious Morales, who rose from the take-no-prisoners world of the Bolivian coca fields and union politics and specializes in harsh putdowns of his perceived enemies.

Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company