Bolivia elects centre-right Rodrigo Paz as President
With 97 per cent of ballots counted, Paz had won 54.5 per cent of the vote in Sunday’s run-off race, well ahead of right-wing former interim President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, with 45.4 per cent of the vote, according to the country’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE).
Bolivians have elected Rodrigo Paz of the centre-right Christian Democratic Party (PDC) as their new president, ending almost 20 years of governance by the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party.
With 97 per cent of ballots counted, Paz had won 54.5 per cent of the vote in Sunday’s run-off race, well ahead of right-wing former interim President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, with 45.4 per cent of the vote, according to the country’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE).
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"The trend is irreversible," said Oscar Hassenteufel, the president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.
In a victory speech, Paz said his country was "reclaiming its place on the international stage."
"We must open Bolivia to the world and restore its role," the 58-year-old economist-turned-senator added.
Both Quiroga and Paz sought to sell themselves as candidates of change and promised to pivot the country away from two decades of populist economic policy.
The election comes after MAS, founded by former President Evo Morales, was voted out of government in an August 17 election.
The result was seen as an expression of voters' frustration over party infighting as well as national fuel shortages.
Who is Paz?
The son of a former president, Paz, a relative unknown despite two decades in politics, surprised observers by winning the August election.
Although he beat Quiroga and all other contenders, he did not secure an outright majority, hence the run-off.
Much of Paz's popularity in the vote can be traced back to his running mate, Edmand Lara, who lost his job with the police after a TikTok video of him railing against corruption went viral. Among those attracted to his message were working-class residents in the Bolivian highlands.
Paz and Lara barnstormed the country during their campaign, promising "capitalism for all" and painting themselves in contrast to wealthy Quiroga and his deep-pocketed donors.
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