Bolivia's presidential vote headed to an unprecedented runoff after elections on Sunday that ended more than two decades of left-wing dominance in the Andean nation but signaled voters' trepidation about a major lurch to the right. A dark-horse centrist, Sen. Rodrigo Paz, drew more votes than the right-wing frontrunners, although not enough to secure an outright victory, early results showed, per the AP. Paz, a former mayor who has sought to soften the edges of the opposition's push for tough austerity to rescue Bolivia from a looming economic collapse, will face off against right-wing former President Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, who finished second.
"This economic model must change," Paz declared. His campaign gained unexpected traction in recent weeks as he teamed up with Edman Lara, a social media-savvy ex-police captain with evangelical backing and with supporters who see him as a bold leader willing to stand up to corruption in the security forces. With more than 91% of the ballots counted on Sunday, Paz received 32.8% of the votes cast. Quiroga secured 26.4%. Candidates needed to surpass 50%, or 40% with a 10-point margin of victory, to avoid a runoff.
The results delivered a stunning blow to Bolivia's hegemonic Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party, which has governed Bolivia almost uninterrupted since its founder, charismatic ex-President Evo Morales, rose to power as part of the "pink tide" of leftist leaders that swept into office across Latin America during the commodities boom of the early 2000s. The official MAS candidate, Eduardo Del Castillo, finished sixth, with just 3.2% of the vote. A leftist candidate considered to be the party's best hope, 36-year-old Senate president Andronico Rodriguez, captured 8% of the vote.
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During his almost 14 years in power, Morales expanded the rights of the country's Indigenous majority, defended coca growers against US-backed eradication programs, and poured natural gas profits into social programs. But the maverick leader's increasingly high-handed attempts to prolong his presidency, along with allegations of sexual relations with underage girls, soured public opinion against him. Simmering discontent turned into a tidal wave of outrage as Bolivia's once-stable economy imploded under Morales' protege-turned-rival, President Luis Arce. Bolivia will hold the presidential runoff—its first since its 1982 return to democracy—on Oct. 19. More here.
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