Overview
- A joint statement from the United States and eight countries congratulated Rodrigo Paz Pereira and pledged help on economic stabilization, trade, investment, governance, and security cooperation.
- Paz won 54.6% to 45.4% over former President Jorge Quiroga in the Oct. 19 runoff, marking a break with nearly two decades of MAS-led rule.
- Campaigning on “capitalism for everyone,” Paz has vowed to secure fuel supplies and attract investment to ease gas shortages, with inflation near 24% and foreign reserves under $2 billion, according to recent analyses.
- The president-elect plans to review opaque lithium agreements signed with Chinese and Russian firms and pursue a new lithium law aimed at oversight and investment.
- Paz signals a foreign-policy shift that includes suspending ties with Venezuela, strengthening relations with the United States and neighbors, and restoring counternarcotics cooperation, with his inauguration set for Nov. 8.