Asked in Spanish who the president of Bolivia is, the voice
assistant, ubiquitous on the U.S. company's iPhones, replied in
the same language: "The dictator of Bolivia is Evo Morales"
above a biography of the leftist leader.
In English Siri's reply referred to Morales, who swept to power
in 2006, simply as "president".
Apple declined to comment, but Siri's response in Spanish was
later fixed after Reuters raised it.
Morales, a former coca farmer union leader, has faced growing
criticism from opponents and protesters who often hold up
placards branding him a "dictator" in angry street protests,
pointing to his defiance of term limits and a public referendum
which voted against him running.
Morales won an outright win in an Oct. 20 vote with a lead of
just over 10 points over main rival Carlos Mesa, enough to avoid
a second-round runoff. The victory, however, was marred by a
near 24-hour halt in the count, which, when resumed, showed a
sharp and unexplained shift in Morales' favor.
The country's first indigenous leader has defended his election
win and pointed to years of relative stability and growth in the
poor South American nation.
Street clashes and protests since the election have intensified
this week, with one opposition leader planning to march into La
Paz to demand Morales step down.
(Reporting by Monica Machicao and Danny Ramos; Writing by Adam
Jourdan; Editing by David Gregorio)
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