Centrist Candidate Wins Bolivia’s Presidency, Ending 20 Years of Leftist Rule 

Centrist senator Rodrigo Paz won Bolivia’s presidential runoff Sunday, ending nearly two decades of dominance by the leftist Movement Toward Socialism Party (MAS) of former President Evo Morales, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

Preliminary results showed Paz secured almost 55 percent of the vote, while his conservative opponent, former President Jorge Quiroga, received about 45 percent. 

Bolivia’s electoral court said the figures are “preliminary and not definitive,” noting that official results will be released within seven days, according to The Guardian. 

In his victory speech, Paz thanked supporters and vowed to build “a new path after 20 years that have left us out of the economy … and geopolitics.”  

He has pledged to revitalize Bolivia’s struggling economy by attracting foreign investment, particularly in mining and lithium development – the country holds the world’s largest lithium reserves. 

He also plans to improve relations with the United States after years of left-wing rule saw Bolivia foster closer relations with Washington’s rivals, including China, Iran, and Venezuela. 

Sunday’s runoff comes after a first round of voting in August, which saw Paz and Quiroga in the lead. MAS candidate Interior Minister Eduardo Del Castillo only won around 3 percent, a stinging defeat for the socialist party that has dominated Bolivian politics since 2006. 

Observers attributed the party’s collapse to internal divisions between Morales and outgoing President Luis Arce, as well as public anger over the country’s deepening economic crisis.  

The deeply unpopular Arce decided to sit out the election. 

Analysts said the new president will inherit a nation facing its worst economic crisis in 40 years, marked by high inflation, fuel shortages, and falling bank reserves. 

The centrist leader said he would take a gradual approach to reduce the country’s massive budget deficit and cut spending, including slashing fuel subsidies that cost the state about $3 billion a year. Political analysts cautioned that Bolivia’s powerful unions and social movements will strongly oppose such moves. 

Another challenge will be to bring the country’s large underground economy – around 80 percent of the workforce is made up of self-employed or informal workers – into the formal market. 

Although Paz’s Christian Democratic Party (PDC) won the most legislative seats, it lacks a majority, and it will be forced to cooperate with Quiroga and moderate left-wing factions to pass key reforms.