Overview
- Rodrigo Paz Pereira led the August 17 vote with about 32 percent, while former president Jorge Quiroga secured roughly 27 percent, setting up the first center-right runoff in two decades.
- Movimiento al Socialismo failed to advance after splitting between Evo Morales loyalists urging blank ballots and President Luis Arce’s faction.
- Samuel Doria Medina announced his support for Paz, solidifying a broad opposition alliance ahead of the second round.
- Weeks of Morales-backed roadblocks and protests prompted authorities to boost police deployments nationwide.
- The eventual winner is poised to pursue austerity measures, privatizations and foreign lithium investment, signaling a major economic and diplomatic shift.