Paz, Quiroga advance to runoff after Left’s collapse in Bolivia
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Rodrigo Paz and Jorge Quiroga head to Bolivia's 2025 presidential runoff in what would be the end of 20 years of leftist rule.
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Bolivian presidential candidate Rodrigo Paz, center, waves to supporters after early results showed him leading in the presidential election in La Paz, Bolivia, on August 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A center-right senator and a right-wing former president are heading to a runoff in Bolivia’s presidential election 2025 on Sunday, signaling the end of two decades of socialist leadership. Preliminary results released by the electoral commission show Senator Rodrigo Paz leading with 32.15% of the vote, followed by Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga with 26.87%, after counting 92% of ballots.
The result reflects widespread voter frustration over an ongoing economic crisis, which has shaken confidence in the ruling party. The main leftist candidate, Senate president Andronico Rodriguez, finished fourth, while millionaire businessman Samuel Doria Medina, once considered a frontrunner, came in third with 19.86%.
Doria Medina quickly endorsed Paz, consolidating opposition support behind the center-right senator ahead of the October runoff.
The vote marked a historic shift, bringing an end to the socialist rule that began in 2005 with the election of Evo Morales. Morales led Bolivia through over a decade of economic growth and Indigenous inclusion, but recent years have been marked by falling gas revenues and worsening shortages of imported goods.
Moreover, Morales, who was barred from running for an unconstitutional fourth term, urged supporters to spoil their ballots in protest. Nearly one in five voters followed suit, reducing the left-wing vote share. Rodriguez, whom Morales denounced as a "traitor," was even stoned while casting his vote in Cochabamba.
Who is Rodrigo Paz?
At 57, Rodrigo Paz has positioned himself as a unifier untarnished by Bolivia’s traditional left-right divide. Son of former President Jaime Paz Zamora, he grew up in exile in Spain during the military regimes and began his political career in Tarija, Bolivia’s main gas-producing region. He became a senator in 2020.
Paz's campaign has focused on consensus-building and economic reform. He has pledged to reduce taxes, eliminate import duties, and promote what he describes as "capitalism for all, not just for a few." He also supports greater decentralization of governance. Much of his appeal has been attributed to his running mate, Edman Lara, a former police captain known for his outspoken stance against corruption.
Who is Jorge Tuto Quiroga?
Jorge Tuto Quiroga, a 65-year-old US-trained engineer from Cochabamba, is making his fourth bid for the presidency. A veteran of Bolivia’s political scene, Quiroga served briefly as president in 2001 after stepping in for former ruler Hugo Banzer, under whom he had served as vice president.
Known for his sharp rhetoric and pro-business stance, Quiroga has vowed to overhaul Bolivia’s economic model by cutting public spending and opening the country to foreign investment. He also aims to re-establish strong ties with the United States, distancing Bolivia from leftist governments in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.
While some Bolivians view Quiroga as a symbol of the past, others support his vision for liberalizing the economy.
Political scientist Daniela Osorio Michel noted that Bolivians are seeking more than just a shift from left to right. "What people are looking for now, beyond a shift from left to right, is a return to stability," she said.
