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yesterday

Rodrigo Paz and Jorge Quiroga Projected for Bolivia Runoff as Partial Results Emerge

Severe inflation coupled with shortages has weakened the ruling party in a vote projected to send conservative contenders into an October runoff

Former President Evo Morales, who is promoting a null vote campaign on the presidential and legislative elections, embraces a woman at a restaurant in Lauca N, Chapare region, Bolivia, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)
A drone view shows the town of Shinaota ahead of the general election, to be held on August 17, in Cochabamba, Bolivia August 16, 2025. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian
FILE - A fruit vendor waits for customers in La Paz, Bolivia, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)
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Overview

  • Center-right Senator Rodrigo Paz led initial projections with about 31% of votes, edging out former president Jorge Quiroga while billionaire Samuel Doria Medina trailed at roughly 20%.
  • Former president Evo Morales cast a null ballot in his Chapare stronghold and campaigned for supporters to spoil their votes in protest after being disqualified and targeted by an arrest order.
  • Two left-leaning contenders, official MAS nominee Eduardo del Castillo and independent Andrónico Rodríguez, have split the party’s traditional base.
  • Annual inflation has surged into the mid-20s percent and chronic shortages of fuel and U.S. dollars have driven widespread voter discontent.
  • Bolivia’s electoral rules require a candidate to win over 50% or at least 40% with a 10-point lead to avoid a runoff now slated for Oct. 19 if no threshold is met.