Bolivians head to runoff after leftist dominance crumbles

BOGOTA, Colombia

Bolivians head to the polls on Sunday for a presidential runoff election, choosing between centrist Senator Rodrigo Paz and conservative former President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga.

Paz, the 57-year-old candidate for the Christian Democratic Party, is the son of Jaime Paz Zamora, a former leftist president who governed from 1989 to 1993. Paz began his political career as a lawmaker in 2002, later serving as mayor and governor of his native Tarija region.

This is Paz's first presidential bid. He surprised many by winning the first round with 32% of the vote, ahead of the 65-year-old Quiroga, who is representing the Freedom and Democracy party and secured 26%.

Quiroga, 65, has previously run unsuccessfully for president three times. He served as president from 2001 to 2002, finishing the final year of former military dictator Hugo Banzer's term after Banzer resigned from lung cancer.

In his 20-year political career, Quiroga has held positions as a deputy, mayor, governor of Tarija, and current senator.

The incoming government faces the country's worst economic crisis in 40 years, worsened by an internal split within the ruling left that contributed to its heavy electoral defeat in the first round on August 17.

Fuel shortages, inflation, and recession define this major economic crisis. Quiroga proposes a dollar injection sourced from international organizations like the International Monetary Fund, while Paz promises the guaranteed arrival of fuel to solve the current shortage.

This election is taking place amid marked political polarization. A deep feud between President Luis Arce and his former mentor, former President Evo Morales, has fractured the country's political left and sharply reduced Arce's popularity. This rivalry has severely fractured the ruling MAS party, which has governed almost continuously since 2006, leading to a likely loss of its political hegemony.

Morales, who served as president from 2006 to 2019, was constitutionally barred from running again, as the court ruled a person can only serve two presidential terms. In response, Morales launched a campaign urging supporters to cast a null vote.

This marks the first time a presidential election runoff has been held in Bolivia. Some 7.9 million Bolivians are eligible to vote. Voting is mandatory in Bolivia; once cast, citizens receive a certificate of suffrage, which must be presented for transactions at public institutions and banks for 90 days following the elections.