Fernando Cartagena / AFP
Former Bolivian president Evo Morales votes in a polling station during the presidential election, in Bolivia, August 17, 2025.
International – A real change of course. Two right -wing candidates will compete in the second round of the presidential election in Bolivia, according to a count of the electoral authorities at the end of the first round on Sunday August 17, marking the end of two decades of left governments in a country plunged into a serious economic crisis.
To everyone’s surprise, the center-right senator Rodrigo Paz, son of former president Jaime Paz Zamora (1998-1993), came first with 32.1 % of the votes, according to the results communicated by the Supreme Electoral Court.
Former right-wing president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga (2001-2002) follows him closely with 26.8 %, according to the same estimates. The Millionaire Samuel Doria Medina, favorite in all polls until a week ago, is however relegated to third place with 19.8 % of the votes.
The left relegated very far
This ballot took place in a context of a serious economic crisis marked by a chronic shortage of dollars and fuel, while annual inflation is around 25 %, an unprecedented level for 17 years.
Lied responsible for the debacle, the outgoing president Luis Arce, formerly supported by former President Evo Morales (2006-2019), but now in conflict with him, has given up a second term. Andronico Rodriguez, the president of the Senate also from the left, and the candidate of the movement towards socialism (Mas) in power since 2006, Eduardo del Castillo, have failed to convince, with respective scores of 8.2 % and 3.2 % of the votes.
“I want a change. I think the left has done us a lot of trouble ”estimated Miriam Escobar, a 60 -year -old retiree. “There is no work, no petrol, no diesel, everything is very expensive”she deplored after having voted at La Paz.
The right -wing candidates promised to break with the statist model established by Evo Morales. Under its presidency, poverty has retreated and tripled GDP, but the fall in revenues since 2017 plunged the country into the crisis.
“Need stability”
“It’s the end of a cycle”said Jorge «This» Quiroga, after voting at La Paz. This engineer, who had provided an interim at the head of the country for a year (2001-2002), promises “A radical change” In case of victory.
Agustin Quispe, a 51 -year -old minor, however qualified «This» Chiroga of “Dinosaur” And said his support for Rodrigo Paz, who has focused his campaign on the fight against corruption and lower taxes. “Bolivia needs stability, governability and an economic model turned towards the people rather than the state”said Rodrigo Paz after voting at Tarija, in the south of the country.
The two winners will compete in a second round on October 19, inflicting on the left its heaviest backhand since the coming to power of Evo Morales. The former 65 -year -old head of state hoped to run for a fourth presidential term, but justice, by limiting them to two, dismissed him from the race. Aimed by an arrest warrant in a minor milking case that he disputes, the former unionist of Coca planters lives entrenched in his stronghold in the center of the country.
A “without legitimacy” election
By voting, wearing sandals, Evo Morales denounced a ballot “Without legitimacy”saying that the void, that he encouraged during the campaign, was going to prevail, while his supporters formed a cord around him, AFP noted. No police presence was visible around.
Despite his eviction, the first Bolivian head of state of native origin keeps solid supports in certain rural and indigenous bastions. But his conflict with Arce fractured the MAS, and even those who have long benefited from social policies have expressed their disenchantment.
For Daniel Valverde, political scientist at Gabriel René Moreno University, “The worst enemy of the left was the left itself”. “Corruption, mismanagement, lack of decisions and improvisation ended up tiring the population”he judges.
