Rodrigo Paz, of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC), has been elected new president with 54.5% of the votes, surpassing the conservative former president Jorge Tuto Quiroga, who obtained 45.5%.

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This result marks a milestone, as for the first time in two decades, a candidate from outside the Movement to Socialism of Evo Morales will govern the country.

Rodrigo Paz Pereira, 57, of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) went from being below 3% to contest the third position in electoral preference, now winning the first round. Son of former Bolivian president Jaime Paz Zamora (1989-1993).

The incoming head of state was born in Santiago de Compostela (Spain) during his father’s exile for being leader of the extinct Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR), who was persecuted by military governments.

Paz Pereira, economist, has studies in international relations, and extensive experience in the public sector since he was twice deputy with the MIR in 2002-2006 and 2006-2010, councilor of the southern Tarija between 2010 and 2015, Mayor of the same city from 2015 to 2020, and Senator since 2020.

Former police officer Edman Lara is the Paz Pereira’s vice president formula. Lara became popular by revealing several cases of alleged corruption in the security agency until he was dismissed in 2024 accused of offenses against the police institution.

The former candidate proposes a ‘Capitalism for all’ with cheap credits, lower taxes and tariffs, and the allocation of 50% of the budget to the regions.

He proposes to legalize ‘stolen’ vehicles, with the promise of returning the stolen ones to their source, and refuses to ask for external financing in order to avoid dependence on international banks, promising to solve the fuel shortage by the day of his investiture.

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