First results show center-right Rodrigo Paz Pereira leading Bolivia’s presidential race with 32.8% of the vote, leading conservative ex-president Jorge Quiroga, who is second with 26.4%. No candidate has reached the threshold to win outright, with the runoff set for October 19.
Bolivia is now expected to have its first non-left-wing president in 20 years. Bolivia’s MAS party (Movement Toward Socialism) has suffered a major defeat, as MAS candidates Eduardo del Castillo and Andrónico Rodríguez received just 3.2% and 8% of the vote respectively.
Rodrigo Paz Pereira’s lead over expected frontrunners Quiroga and Samuel Doria Medina, who lost his fourth presidential bid, comes as a surprise.
With fuel shortages, high inflation, and a dollar shortage threatening the nation, Bolivians appear ready for a moderate, market-friendly path under Paz. A change in government could also result in Bolivia building closer relations with the U.S., after two decades of strong ties with China, Russia and Iran.
