Bolivia elects centrist over far-right presidential rival

What happened

Bolivians Sunday elected Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator, as president, ending two decades of rule by the leftist Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party of former President Evo Morales. Paz defeated right-wing former President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga 54% to 45% in the runoff election, according to early results from the electoral tribunal. Quiroga conceded and congratulated Paz.

Who said what

Paz is the son of former President Jaime Paz Zamora and “has spent more than two decades in politics,” The Associated Press said. But he “appeared in this race as a political unknown,” rising “unexpectedly from the bottom of the polls to a first-place finish in the August vote.”

Bolivia’s “faltering economy” dominated the campaign, and both Paz and Quiroga pledged to depart from MAS’s state-centered policies, The New York Times said. Analysts said Paz “attracted support from left-leaning voters disappointed with the MAS but hesitant to embrace the right” and wary of Quiroga’s “deep economic overhauls” and IMF-imposed austerity measures. Paz’s campaign was also “boosted by his running mate Edman Lara, a former police officer known for viral TikTok videos exposing corruption,” Reuters said.

What next?

Paz, 58, is scheduled to take office Nov. 8, but his Christian Democratic Party “does not hold a majority in the country’s legislature, which will force him to forge alliances to govern effectively,” Reuters said.

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