Paz wins Bolivia’s presidential election amid severe economic crisis
(MENAFN) Center-right Senator Rodrigo Paz of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) has emerged victorious in Bolivia’s presidential runoff election, defeating former conservative President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga.
Preliminary results from the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), with over 97% of votes counted, show Paz winning 54.53% of the vote compared to 45.43% for Quiroga.
Paz, a 58-year-old economist born on September 22, 1967, in Spain, spent much of his childhood in Argentina, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, and Panama. His political career largely developed in the southern department of Tarija, where he served as a councilman, mayor, and congressman before becoming a senator. He is also the son of former President Jaime Paz Zamora, who led Bolivia from 1989 to 1993.
Quiroga acknowledged Paz’s victory, telling supporters, “We cannot leave the country in limbo. We would exacerbate the problems of people suffering from the crisis; we cannot question it.
We need a mature attitude at this time. We are going to verify the results, but I have congratulated Rodrigo.”
Sunday’s election marks the end of nearly 20 years of leftist rule, as voters chose between two capitalist candidates. The defeat of the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party in the first round signals a significant political shift for the Andean nation.
Paz is set to take office on November 8, immediately confronting Bolivia’s deepest economic crisis in four decades. The country faces acute shortages of U.S. dollars, limiting imports and pushing annual inflation to 25% last month. Reduced natural gas production has compounded the crisis, contributing to fuel shortages in major cities.
TSE President Oscar Hassenteufel reported that voter turnout in the runoff ranged from 85% to 89%.
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