Bolivia has elected its first non-leftist president in almost 20 years following Sunday’s runoff vote.
Rodrigo Paz, a center-right president belonging to the Christian Democratic Party (PDC), won 54.6% of the vote, according to preliminary results.
His opponent, right-wing Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, received 45.4%.
The court still has up to a week to release the official results.
Following the news of his victory, Paz said: “Let’s keep building a future, a new parth after 20 years that have left us out of the economy […] and geopolitics. We must create jobs,” according to The Guardian.
He continued: “Ideology doesn’t put food on the table. What does is the right to work, strong institutions, legal security, respect for private property, and having certainty about your future – and that’s what we want to work for.”
The president-elect also emphasized his objective of building a “close relationship” with the U.S. government, and ensuring that “Bolivia does not lack hydrocarbons”.
Paz, 58, will be inaugurated on November 8.
Paz has pledged “capitalism for all”, which he says will involve the provision of accessible loans for young entrepreneurs, tax reductions, and the scrapping of tariffs on goods produced abroad, according to Infobae.
Paz has opposed accepting loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and has also emphasized the need for anti-corruption measures, saying that the country’s justice system requires “fundamental changes”.
He has received particular attention for the low-cost approach he took to canvassing, with Spanish newspaper El País reporting in August that he had spent less than US$30 on his campaign.
Another key feature of his campaign was the prominent identity of his running mate: former police captain Edman Lara.
Lara, 39, is a TikToker and social media star known for exposing corruption in the Bolivian police force.
The election of Paz comes after the annual inflation rate reached 24% in June: a product of several factors, including a decline in natural gas production and subsequently a decline in its exports.
The BBC explained that this resulted in a shortage of U.S. dollars, making it harder and more expensive for the country to import goods such as petrol, diesel, and food items.
This led to shortages and skyrocketing prices, with some lorry drivers waiting more than 24 hours for fuel.
The result represents Bolivia’s first shift away from the left wing in 20 years.
For almost the past two decades, the Movement to Socialism (MAS) party has been in power, however it has lost support amid a feud between Luis Arce and Evo Morales.
Read more: Bolivian president calls for unity among the left ahead of upcoming election
The two politicians were once allies, with Arce serving as economy minister under Morales, before Morales went into exile in 2019 following allegations of vote rigging.
Arce was elected as president while Morales was in exile, but — once Morales returned to Bolivia — Arce revealed that the former president would have no place in his new government.
Their relationship has been bitter since, with pro-Morales activists organizing several demonstrations – including some which have turned deadly.
Morales was also accused of statutory rape last year: an allegation which he has denied.
Featured image credit:
Image: Rodrigo Paz
Author: Pat Bolivia Tv
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKjBL5RIcSE via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rodrigo_Paz_Pereira_en_junio_de_2025.jpg
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en
