Center-right senator Rodrigo Paz Pereira of the Partido Demócrata Cristiano (Christian Democrat Party, PDC) has been elected as the next president of Bolivia. His victory marks a change of political epoch in a country governed by the socialist left wing MAS party for the best part of two decades.
Quick count figures released on Sunday night showed that Paz secured a handy victory over Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga of Libre, by 55% to 45%.
The candidates competed in the country’s first run-off election after none of the presidential hopefuls cleared the threshold for an outright victory in the first round, which was held in August. Paz was not considered a front-runner in that vote and surprised the population by coming first.
Paz thanked “God, the family, and the homeland, which is the basis of the commitment we have to Bolivia” in a victory speech in La Paz, the seat of government, at 10:18 p.m. local time.
He congratulated the electoral authorities, international observers, and Bolivian poll workers, saying they had worked “so that today, Bolivia is breathing the winds of change, winds of renovation, and has hope to move forward.”
“We Bolivians know that ideology doesn’t put food on the table. What puts food on the table is the right to work, strong institutions, legal security, respect for private property, and having certainty about your future.”
Paz will take office on November 8.
Speaking at his campaign house, Quiroga said he had congratulated Paz Pereira, but added that he would wait for the official count, which usually takes several days. “Beyond the fact that there was different information earlier that could cause confusion, we respected the work of the [electoral authorities] in the first round and we’re going to respect it in the second round. I’ve called Rodrigo Paz Pereira, I’ve congratulated him,” he said, before being interrupted by angry shouts from his followers.
Outgoing President Luis Arce, of the MAS (Movement Towards Socialism) party congratulated Paz Pereira, the electoral authorities, and the electorate, promising an orderly transition.
“After 28 years, one government elected at the ballot box will hand over to another elected in the same conditions,” he wrote on X. “Long live our democracy!”
Paz is a senator for the southern department of Tarija, where he previously served as mayor. His father was the former president Jaime Paz Zamora. Many analysts say that his running-mate, Edman Lara, played an important role in the pair’s victory: the former police officer is known for vocally combating corruption in the force via his popular TikTok account, where he broadcasts a man-of-the-people image from his Santa Cruz market stand.
The now president-elect campaigned on a center-right platform of lower taxes, pushing for greater foreign investment, and what he called “capitalism for all.”
He and Lara will face the principal challenge of solving an economic crisis that has led to shortages of fuel and other basic goods. The Arce government adopted currency controls, giving rise to parallel exchange rates similar to the “blue dollar” rate that has long existed in Argentina. The solution is likely to involve measures such as cutting fuel subsidies, which could test relations with Bolivia’s powerful social movements.
Arce did not stand for re-election. As the Bolivian left fractured during the campaign, no leftist candidates made it into the run-off. Quiroga was a right-wing candidate with neoliberal views, who was widely associated with the country’s upper classes.
