Evo Morales, the leftist claiming victory in Bolivia’s presidential race, stayed true to his coca-growing roots yesterday by repeating promises to stop the US-backed eradication of coca, saying the crop that provides the raw material for cocaine is part of Bolivian culture.

SOCIALIST candidate Evo Morales, who has promised to halt a US-backed campaign to end coca growing, appeared to have to won Bolivia’s presidential elections, a victory that would solidify the continent’s shift toward the political left.