Centrist senator Rodrigo Paz won Bolivia’s presidential runoff on Sunday, defeating conservative rival Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga as an acute economic crisis fueled voter demand for change after nearly two decades of leftist rule.
With 54.5% of the vote to Quiroga’s 45.5%, Paz’s victory signals a sharp political shift in the Andean nation, according to preliminary results from the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.
Paz, a 58-year-old lawmaker and son of former president Jaime Paz Zamora, campaigned on a moderate platform: keep core social programmes while reviving growth through a larger role for the private sector.
That message appealed to left-leaning voters disillusioned with the long-dominant Movement to Socialism (MAS) but cautious about Quiroga’s proposed austerity measures.
Despite the win, his Christian Democratic Party lacks a majority in the Plurinational Legislative Assembly, forcing the president-elect to seek alliances to govern. He is due to take office on 8 November.
Support for MAS cratered in the first round amid a deepening downturn, setting the stage for the runoff. “This election marks a political turning point. Bolivia is heading in a new direction,” said Glaeldys González Calanche, International Crisis Group analyst for the Southern Andes.
Both candidates pledged to repair ties with Washington and seek U.S.-backed financial support to stabilise the economy.
In late September, Paz outlined a proposed $1.5 billion cooperation package with U.S. officials aimed at securing fuel supplies. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for his part, said this week that both contenders wanted “stronger, better relations with the United States.”
Outside a polling station in La Paz, voter Lourdes Mendoza said the handover felt overdue after years under a single political force. “My children were born and raised with a single government,” she said. “I hope they can see other possibilities and alternatives.”
Source: CNN
SMS/