Sign in Subscribe
Conservatism

Bolivia Votes for Change: Right-Wing Candidates Top First Round of Elections

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Bolivia, a South American nation, has voted to end two decades of leftist rule with center-right Senator Rodrigo Paz emerging as the surprise frontrunner in the first round of elections. With over 31% of the vote, Paz has narrowly edged out former right-wing president Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, who secured around 27% of the vote. The elections have been dominated by Bolivia's worst economic crisis in a generation, with voters seeking change after 20 years of socialist rule.

Key Takeaways:

  • Center-right Senator Rodrigo Paz has emerged as the surprise frontrunner in the first round of elections with over 31% of the vote, according to Ipsos and Captura pollsters.
  • Former right-wing president Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga secured around 27% of the vote, positioning himself for a potential run-off.
  • The main right-wing candidates have vowed to shake up Bolivia's big-state economic model and international alliances, with Quiroga promising to slash public spending, open the country to foreign investment, and boost ties with the United States.
  • Millionaire businessman Samuel Doria Medina trailed in third with 19.5-20.2 percent of the vote, far ahead of the main leftist candidate, Senate president Andronico Rodriguez.
  • The election was dominated by Bolivia's worst economic crisis in a generation, with annual inflation hitting almost 25 percent in July and the country running critically short of fuel and dollars.
  • The vote brings an end to 20 years of socialist rule in Bolivia, which began in 2005 when Evo Morales, an Indigenous coca farmer, was elected president on a radical anti-capitalist platform.

Statistics:

  • 31%: The percentage of the vote secured by Rodrigo Paz, the center-right Senator.
  • 27%: The percentage of the vote secured by Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, the former right-wing president.
  • 19.5-20.2%: The percentage of the vote secured by Samuel Doria Medina, the millionaire businessman.
  • 25%: The annual inflation rate in Bolivia as of July.
  • $6.1 billion: The peak gas revenue for Bolivia in 2013.
  • $1.6 billion: The gas revenue for Bolivia in 2023.

Sources:

  • BSS news release.
  • Ipsos and Captura pollsters.
  • AFP news agency.
  • Daniela Osorio Michel, Bolivian political scientist at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies.

Read more