“Capitalism for all!” - With this slogan, Rodrigo Paz achieved a surprise victory in the first round of the presidential elections in Bolivia, which had been ruled by socialists for almost 20 years. He will face off against fellow opposition candidate and economic liberal “Tuto” Quiroga in a runoff election on October 19. The centre-right opposition also won a landslide victory in parliament: the long-standing ruling party MAS will practically no longer be represented there. Meanwhile, former President Evo Morales is manifesting himself as extra-parliamentary resistance, having been significantly more successful with his call for invalid votes than the various left-wing candidates at the polls.
Desk Officer for the Andean States, the Rule of Law Programme Latin America and the Regional Programme Political Partizipation of Indigenous People in Latin America
