LA PAZ, Oct 19 (Reuters) – Centrist Rodrigo Paz won Bolivia’s presidential runoff on Sunday, defeating conservative rival Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, as the country’s worst economic crisis in a generation helped propel the end of nearly two decades of leftist rule.
“We must open Bolivia to the world,” said Paz during his victory speech from La Paz, after Quiroga conceded defeat.
Outside a polling station in La Paz, Lourdes Mendoza said she had grown weary of the MAS era.
RUNNING MATE’S POPULIST APPEAL BOOSTS PAZ Paz’s campaign was boosted by his running mate Edman Lara, a former police officer known for viral TikTok videos exposing corruption.
Reporting by Lucinda Elliott in Montevideo, Monica Machicao and Daniel Ramos in La Paz; Additional reporting by Brendan O’Boyle in Mexico City, Diego Delgado in La Paz, Rodrigo Gutierrez and Reuters TV in Tarija, Bolivia; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien, Nia Williams, Deepa Babington and Thomas Derpinghaus.
LA PAZ, Oct. 19 (Reuters) – Following nearly two decades of leftist rule, Bolivia’s worst economic crisis in a generation helped push centrist Rodrigo Paz to victory in Sunday’s presidential runoff, defeating conservative opponent Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga.
According to preliminary results from Bolivia’s electoral tribunal, Paz, a senator from the Christian Democratic Party, received 54 percent of the vote, greater than Quiroga’s 45 percent. However, Paz will have to form coalitions in order to govern successfully because his party does not control a majority of the nation’s legislature.
November 8 marks the inauguration of the new president.
Following Quiroga’s defeat concession, Paz declared, “We must open Bolivia to the world,” in his victory speech from La Paz.
The 58-year-old senator’s victory represents a monumental change for the South American nation, which has been run virtually nonstop since 2006 by Bolivia’s Movement to Socialism, or MAS, which was formerly overwhelmingly supported by the Indigenous majority.
Amidst a worsening economic crisis, support for MAS plummeted in the August first round.
According to Glaeldys Gonzalez Calanche, an analyst for the Southern Andes at International Crisis Group, “this election marks a political turning point.”. “Bolivia is heading in a new direction,” she stated.
The two runoff candidates promised to improve diplomatic relations with Washington, which have been tense since 2009, and pursue U.S. S. . -backed monetary assistance to keep Bolivia’s shaky economy stable.
Plans for a $12.5 billion economic cooperation agreement with the United States were announced by Paz in late September. A. officials to guarantee fuel supplies.
U. S. . Following decades of anti-American leadership, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated this week that both presidential candidates “want stronger, better relations with the United States.”. His statement on October 15 was, “This election is a transformative opportunity.”.
Lourdes Mendoza said she was tired of the MAS era outside a La Paz polling station. She claimed that “a single government was in place when my children were born and raised.”. “I hope they are able to see alternative options and possibilities. “..”.
A change in the economy is what voters want.
The runoff campaign was dominated by Bolivia’s precarious economy. Fuel is in short supply, inflation is at a 40-year high, and once-burgeoning natural gas exports have fallen.
In their campaigns, both candidates called for a significant reversal of the state-led model of the MAS era, but they disagreed on how much. In contrast to Quiroga, who suggested massive cuts and an IMF bailout, Paz supported gradual reform that included tax breaks for small enterprises and regional fiscal autonomy.
At his family’s ranch in the southern gas-producing region of Tarija, Paz told Reuters two days prior to the election, “We’re going for a new stage of Bolivian democracy in the 21st century.”.
He stated, “We’re going to try to build an economy for the people,” in which the state would no longer serve as the main axis. “.
Some voters expressed doubt that his win was a genuine departure from MAS: “I think he’s a puppet of the outgoing government,” stated La Paz resident Esther Miranda, 21, who works at a nail salon.
PAZ’S POPULIST APPEAL IS RUNNING MATE’S.
His running mate Edman Lara, a former police officer famous for his viral TikTok videos exposing corruption, helped Paz’s campaign. According to analysts, Paz was able to connect with younger and working-class voters thanks to Lara’s populist appeal.
Economists caution that securing fuel supplies and forming alliances in a divided legislature are among the immediate challenges facing the incoming administration.
Last week, departing hydrocarbons minister Alejandro Gallardo stated that the state energy company was having trouble acquiring foreign exchange for fuel imports.
To guarantee that diesel and gasoline arrive within days of his inauguration, Paz told Reuters he was already resolving the issue by entering into deferred payment agreements with fuel suppliers.
Additionally, Paz announced that he would start to phase out universal fuel subsidies. Vulnerable populations would receive targeted assistance, and larger sectors like agribusiness would pay market prices for fuel.
Until the economy is revived, he stated, “the market will have to adjust prices, but there are sectors that will have government support.”.
As part of Paz’s government’s balancing act to prevent street protests, Bolivia’s main labor union, the Central Obrera Boliviana (COB), has previously warned that it would oppose any threats to the social and economic gains made thus far.
Quiroga’s coalition won 12 Senate seats and 43 lower house seats, while Paz’s PDC won 49 of 130 Senate seats and 16 of 36 lower house seats.
Reuters TV in Tarija, Bolivia; Lucinda Elliott in Montevideo; Monica Machicao and Daniel Ramos in La Paz; Brendan O’Boyle in Mexico City; Diego Delgado in La Paz; Rodrigo Gutierrez; and Rosalba O’Brien, Nia Williams, Deepa Babington, and Thomas Derpinghaus, who edited the report.
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With stories from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, Lucinda covers the southern part of Latin America. She previously worked for The Times of London as a foreign correspondent, based in Brazil and Venezuela, before joining Reuters from the Financial Times in 2023. She has had success interviewing many presidents, both past and present, and tracking down some of the more colorful political figures on the continent.
