Center-right Rodrigo Paz elected president of Bolivia, ending two decades of socialist rule

By AFP 20 October 2025, 3:57 am

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Center-right senator Rodrigo Paz has won a runoff presidential election in Bolivia, official provisional results show, ending two decades of socialist rule blamed by many for the South American country’s myriad economic problems.

With 97 percent of ballots counted, Paz had 54.5 percent of the vote compared to 45.4 percent for his rival, right-wing former interim president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal says.

Paz, the 58-year-old son of a former president, has vowed a “capitalism for all” approach to economic reform, with decentralization, lower taxes and fiscal discipline mixed with continued social spending.