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Washington Post
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
What to know about Bolivia's election that elevated a centrist shaking up the political landscape
LA PAZ, Bolivia — One candidate is Rodrigo Paz , a conservative centrist senator and son of a neoliberal ex-president who is pitching himself as a moderate reformer. The other is former right-wing president Jorge 'Tuto' Quiroga, galvanizing voters through promises of harsh austerity and a scorched-earth approach to transforming Bolivia's state-directed economic model after 20 years of leftist dominance.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Things will improve': Bolivians look forward to right's return
Bolivians on Monday began looking to a future without the ruling socialists of the past two decades, after the first round of presidential and parliamentary elections were won by a resurgent right. The Movement towards Socialism (MAS), in power since iconic leader Evo Morales was elected to the presidency in 2005, suffered a cataclysmic defeat in Sunday's elections over its handling of a severe economic crisis. The party's presidential candidate Eduardo del Castillo garnered just 3.1 percent of the vote in the South American nation. MAS also lost nearly all its Congress seats to the opposition, led by centre-right senator Rodrigo Paz and right-wing ex-president Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, who snagged the two places in October's presidential run-off. Franz Yupangui, a 49-year-old lecturer in sustainable engineering, said he hoped the right-ward shift would end the worst shortages of fuel and dollars -- the currency in which Bolivians save -- that he could recall since the 1980s. "I think that now, given we are going to change to another type of politics, things will improve," he told AFP at a fruit and vegetable market in central La Paz. Clara Rodriguez, a 54-year-old fruitseller whose business has been hit by rising fuel and food prices, also welcomed the dramatic changes to the political landscape. "In our country we've lacked many things, and for people with very limited resources, things have been very bad. So I think with this change we're going to move forward," she said as she packed sweet cherimoyas, a fruit native to the Andes, for a customer. Like many Bolivians, she also voiced relief at the peaceful nature of the election, which contrasted with the violence that erupted in 2019 after Morales claimed victory in polls marked by fraud allegations. Fears that supporters of Morales, who attempted to stand for an unconstitutional fourth term this year but was barred from running, could wreak havoc came to naught. "Evistos," as his loyal Indigenous and rural followers are known, instead expressed their frustrations at the ballot box. Nearly one in five voters -- an historic 19.38 percent -- answered his call to spoil their ballots. - Calls for unity - Paz was the surprise winner of the first round, with 32.14 percent of the vote, ahead of Quiroga on 26.81 percent. Millionaire businessman Samuel Doria Medina, who had been tipped to finish first, trailed in third. In an interview Monday with Bolivia's El Deber daily, Paz, who campaigned as a moderate, attributed his success to a nationwide listening tour. "I've been traveling for four years now; I didn't come three months before (the election) on a private plane, land on a runway, and give speeches," he said, in an apparent dig at Doria Medina and Quiroga, dismissed by many voters as the candidates of big business. Both Paz, son of former president Jaime Paz (1989-1993), and Quiroga, who served a year as president in the early 2000s, launched their second-round campaigns Monday with calls for unity. The two candidates' programmes converge on some points, such as eliminating fuel subsidies, lowering taxes and breaking with MAS's big-state economic model. "We must turn the page and begin building a new Bolivia," Quiroga said. cb/mlm
Reuters
14 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Bolivia heads to runoff after right turn in presidential vote
LA PAZ, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Bolivians decisively repudiated the leftist party which has ruled the country for most of the past two decades in a first-round presidential election vote, likely paving the way for more market-friendly policies for its crisis-wracked economy. Centrist senator Rodrigo Paz secured 32.18% of the vote, while Eduardo del Castillo of the Movement for Socialism, MAS, had just 3.16%, according to initial results released by the electoral tribunal on Sunday night. Conservative former president Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga of the Alianza coalition was second with 26.94%, with over 92% of the ballots counted. If no candidate obtains more than 40% of the vote with a 10-point lead, there will be a runoff on October 19. Full official results will be announced within seven days. The result marked a drastic shift for a country which since 2006 has mostly been dominated by the interventionist MAS party led by the charismatic Evo Morales, although his once tight grip on the leftist coalition had already faded. "Bolivia is not just asking for a change in government, it's asking for a change in the political system," Paz said in a speech broadcast on Sunday night. "This is the beginning of a great victory, of a great transformation," he added, as his supporters chanted "renewal." Bolivian bonds gained nearly 3 cents, with the 2030 maturity bid at 79.69 cents on the dollar, according to Tradeweb data, its highest level this year. Investors were hopeful that a turn away from the leftist party could help the country turn its economy around, avoid a debt default and pave the way for an IMF program. Earlier on Sunday, Quiroga acknowledged the results, confirming his place in the runoff, and congratulated Paz. Outgoing President Luis Arce released an upbeat statement recognizing the results, saying "Democracy has triumphed." With a crowded field of eight contenders and no dominant MAS party candidate, the election marked a "crossroads moment" for Bolivia, said Southern Andes analyst Glaeldys Gonzalez Calanche of the International Crisis Group. Bolivia's fragile economy has been at the top of many voters' minds. Price rises have surged past other Latin American countries this year, and fuel and dollars have run scarce. Annual inflation doubled to 23% in June, up from 12% in January, with some Bolivians turning to cryptocurrencies as a hedge. The Bolivia result also may foreshadow a death knell for other left-leaning governments in Latin America, with elections looming in Chile in the coming months and in Colombia in the first half of 2026. Many Bolivians, especially those who work in the informal economy, were struggling to make ends meet, said economist Roger Lopez. "Bolivia is on the brink," said Lopez. "It has no dollars and faces obligations that must be paid in dollars, and voters understand that the coming years will be difficult." Paz's strong performance surprised analysts. Opinion polls had suggested that the senator was far behind Quiroga and center-right candidate Samuel Doria Medina of the Unidad Alliance coalition. Businessman Medina conceded defeat and said he would support Paz in any runoff. Sunday's vote dramatized the fall from favor of Morales, once overwhelmingly popular with the pivotal indigenous Aymara voting bloc, but whose calls to boycott the election appeared to fall short. Voter turnout was steady, authorities said. Despite earlier concerns that the electoral process could be obstructed by supporters of Morales, international observers said there were no major disruptions. Null and blank ballots totaled 21.5%, likely reflecting some support for Morales, who had urged voters to cast null ballots in protest. Usually the share of blank and null votes does not exceed 6%. Several minor incidents took place at polling stations in the central region of Cochabamba, Morales' political stronghold. The results will create an opportunity for the first time in nearly two decades for centrists and the right, which together commanded roughly three quarters of the vote, the early count showed. "Every year the situation has got worse under this government," said Silvia Morales, a 30-year-old retail worker from La Paz. A former MAS voter, she said this time she would cast her vote for the center-right. Carlos Blanco Casas, 60, a teacher in La Paz, said he intended to vote for change. "This election feels hopeful. We need a change of direction," he said. Quiroga has promised "radical change" to reverse what he calls "20 lost years" under MAS rule. He supports deep public spending cuts and a shift away from alliances with Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. Quiroga was president for a year in 2001-2002 after Bolivia's then-leader resigned. Paz, meanwhile, plans to decentralize government by introducing a "50-50 economic model" in which the central government would manage only half of public funds. The remainder would be designated to regional governments. Voters also elected all 26 senators and 130 deputies, who will take office on November 8.
Globe and Mail
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Bolivia heads to presidential runoff, pitting centrist candidate against right-wing
Bolivia's presidential vote headed to an unprecedented runoff after elections Sunday that ended more than two decades of left-wing dominance in the Andean nation but signalled voters' trepidation about a major lurch to the right. A dark horse centrist, Sen. Rodrigo Paz, drew more votes than the right-wing front-runners, although not enough to secure an outright victory, early results showed. Paz, a former mayor who has sought to soften the edges of the opposition's push for tough austerity to rescue Bolivia from a looming economic collapse, will face off against right-wing former president Jorge 'Tuto' Quiroga, who finished second. Bolivia holds the presidential runoff – its first since its 1982 return to democracy – on Oct. 19. 'This economic model must change,' Paz declared to crowds who cheered and chanted, 'Renewal!' Paz's campaign gained unexpected traction in recent weeks as he teamed up with Edman Lara, a social media savvy ex-police captain with evangelical backing whose supporters see him as a bold leader willing to stand up to corruption in the security forces. With over 91 per cent of the ballots counted Sunday, Paz received 32.8 per cent of the votes cast. Quiroga secured 26.4 per cent. Candidates needed to surpass 50 per cent, or 40 per cent with a 10-point margin of victory, to avoid a runoff. Addressing fans and flanked by family as confetti hearts sprayed from the ceiling, Quiroga congratulated Paz on his lead. 'What happened is unprecedented,' he said. 'Bolivia told the world that we want to live in a free nation.' The results delivered a stunning blow to Bolivia's hegemonic Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party, which has governed Bolivia almost uninterrupted since its founder, charismatic ex-President Evo Morales, rose to power as part of the 'pink tide' of leftist leaders that swept into office across Latin America during the commodities boom of the early 2000s. The official MAS candidate, Eduardo del Castillo, finished sixth with just 3.2 per cent of the vote. A leftist candidate considered to be the party's best hope, 36-year-old Senate president Andrónico Rodríguez, captured 8 per cent of the vote. During his almost 14 years in power, Morales expanded the rights of the country's Indigenous majority, defended coca growers against U.S.-backed eradication programs and poured natural gas profits into social programs. But the maverick leader's increasingly high-handed attempts to prolong his presidency – along with allegations of sexual relations with underage girls – soured public opinion against him. Simmering discontent turned into a tidal wave of outrage as Bolivia's once-stable economy imploded under Morales' protégé-turned-rival, President Luis Arce. Annual inflation rate has soared from 2 per cent less than two years ago to 25 per cent as of last month. A scarcity of fuel has paralyzed the country. A desperate shortage of U.S. dollars needed to pay for essential imports like wheat has crippled the economy. As the crisis accelerated, MAS leaders traded blame. A power struggle between Morales and Arce fractured the bloc and handed the opposition its first real shot at victory in decades even as its uncharismatic candidates failed to unite. In perhaps the most visible sign of how fed up Bolivians are with the party, leftist politicians casting their ballots across Bolivia on Sunday faced barrages of boos, insults and thrown objects. Blocked from running by a court ruling on term limits, Morales has been holed up in his tropical stronghold of Chapare for months evading an arrest warrant for allegedly impregnating a 15-year-old girl while president. He has branded Rodríguez a traitor for competing and encouraged his supporters to register their anger at his exclusion by casting null-and-void ballots. His followers appeared to heed his calls: An unusually high proportion of votes, 19 per cent, were deemed invalid. Usually the share of blank and null votes doesn't exceed 6 per cent. Tensions ran high as Morales' supporters mobilized against elections but voting even in the restive jungle largely passed peacefully, authorities said, with only minor disruptions. A dynamite stick went off near the school where Rodríguez planned to cast his ballot in Chapare. When he arrived hours later, pro-Morales crowds assaulted him with bottles and rocks as he voted. Whisked away by guards, Rodríguez later called it a 'difficult moment.' The win for Paz came as a shock to a nation that had been conditioned by weeks of opinion polls to expect that the leading right-wing contenders, Quiroga and businessman Samuel Doria Medina, would capture the top two spots. Sunday marked Doria Medina's fourth failed presidential bid. He told grim-faced supporters that he had 'no regrets.' 'I wanted to serve Bolivia as president, and it hasn't been possible,' he said. The promotion of Paz and his more moderate tone reflects Bolivian ambivalence about a dramatic veer to the right. Paz has sought to distance himself from pledges by Quiroga and Doria Medina to sell Bolivia's abundant lithium reserves to foreign companies and turn to the International Monetary Fund for billions of dollars of loans. But he has also launched blistering attacks on the MAS party and its economic model. 'I want to congratulate the people because this is a sign of change,' Paz said. Despite their grand promises, Doria Medina and Quiroga struggled to stir up voter excitement. Bolivians associate them both with the U.S.-backed neoliberal administrations that Morales repudiated when he stormed to office in 2006, declaring an end to Bolivia's 20-year experiment with free-market capitalism. 'If they couldn't govern well before, what makes us think they'll do it now?' asked Yaitzel Poma, 30, referring to Paz's right-wing rivals as she celebrated along the main avenue of Bolivia's capital of La Paz on Sunday. 'We have to learn from the past to make better choices.' After 20 years of Morales' populist, state-directed policies, Bolivia faces a return to belt-tightening. After years of alignment with world powers like China and Russia, Bolivia seems set to reconcile with the United States. Paz supporters have described the former mayor Bolivia's southern town of Tarija as a fresh face with new ideas. 'We want new people, new proposals, another chance for young people,' said 38-year-old Jaqueline Cachaca, a Paz supporter who lost her job at a bank this year amid a wave of layoffs and now sells street food. But Paz, too, has deep ties to Bolivia's old political elite. The 57-year-old lawmaker has had a long career in politics – running for senator with Quiroga's right-wing party in 2014. He's the son of former President Jaime Paz Zamora, who began his political career as a co-founder of the Revolutionary Left Movement, a radical party persecuted under the bloody military dictatorship of Hugo Banzer in the 1970s, before striking a pact with Banzer's right-wing party in order to become president from 1989 to 1993. Doria Medina served as his minister of planning in that government, which oversaw a series of privatizations that devastated local industry. 'What we're doing is moving back in time,' said Kathryn Ledebur, director of the Andean Information Network, a Bolivian research group. 'This is not a new actor with dynamic policies. He's a surrogate for the reconstruction of the traditional right.'
LBCI
18 hours ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Two right-wing candidates qualify for Bolivia's presidential run-off: Projections
Two right-wing candidates headed into a run-off for president of Bolivia after topping the first round of elections Sunday that ended two decades of leftist rule, exit polls showed. Center-right senator Rodrigo Paz was the surprise vote leader with 31.3-31.6 per cent of the vote, according to projections based on partial results by Ipsos and Captura pollsters. Former right-wing president Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga was second, with 27.1-27.3 percent, the projections showed. AFP
