Moderate centrist Rodrigo Paz has surprised political pundits and shocked pollsters, by winning the first round of Bolivia’s Presidential Election, with a second-round runoff set for October 19th.
By James Blears
Senator Rodrigo Paz, the son of a former president, is the Christian Democratic Party’s candidate for the Bolivian presidency. He will contest the runoff round against former President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga of the Libre Party after securing the most votes in the first round.
In Sunday’s election, with more than 90 percent of votes tallied, Paz gained 32.8 percent of the vote, while Quiroga received 26.4 percent.
Paz has prudently avoided harsh medicine, discord, and rhetoric in the face of Bolivia`s worst economic crisis in a generation. Instead he has advocating accessible credit, tax incentives, decentralization of resources to help the regions, and a crackdown on corruption. Further, he is pledging not to sell off Bolivia’s vast lithium resources to international companies, in order to make the books balance with a quick fix.
This election result is historic, because it ends almost two decades of socialism started by Evo Morales of the Movement to Socialism, better known as MAS. Morales was president for almost fourteen years before he fell from favour. The MAS candidate in this presidential election, Eduardo Del Castillo, finished in sixth place with only 3.2 percent of the vote.
Whoever eventually wins must tackle surging inflation, acute and chronic shortages of basic commodities, high unemployment, dwindling currency reserves, and increasing crime. This will need nerves of steel and a cool head, yet a steady hand, tempered with a light and sensitive political touch, in order to better distribute resources and use ample natural resources to bolster and then grow a currently depressed, stagnant, and dire economy.
