Bolivia heads to presidential run-off as MAS era ends

Bolivia is set for a presidential run-off between a centrist and a right-wing candidate, marking the close of two decades of rule by the Movement for Socialism (MAS), the country’s electoral council confirmed Sunday.

With more than 91 percent of ballots counted, preliminary results showed Rodrigo Paz of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) in the lead with 32.8 percent. Conservative former interim president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga of the Alianza Libre coalition followed with 26.4 percent, sending both into a run-off on October 19.

Candidates needed either 50 percent of the vote outright, or 40 percent with a 10-point lead, to avoid the second round.

Al Jazeera’s Latin America editor Lucia Newman, reporting from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, said the results showed MAS, in power since 2005, is “out of the picture”. But the “biggest surprise,” she added, is “that the frontrunner is none other than somebody who was polling between fourth and fifth place up until now”.

Paz, the son of former president Jaime Paz, is considered “more to the centre” than his father.

Eight candidates ran in Sunday’s vote, ranging from far-right to leftist. Pre-election polls had tipped businessman Samuel Doria Medina and Quiroga as frontrunners.

Former president Evo Morales was barred from running, while outgoing socialist president Luis Arce, who split with Morales, chose not to enter the race. Divisions within MAS, combined with Bolivia’s deep economic crisis, made a return to power unlikely for the party.

Official results are due within seven days. Voters also chose 26 senators and 130 deputies, who will assume office on November 8.

Economic crisis weighs heavily

The Andean nation faces its worst economic downturn in a generation, with inflation close to 25 percent, shortages of US dollars and fuel, and widespread protests over prices.

Bolivia had earlier enjoyed more than a decade of strong growth under Morales, who nationalised gas and expanded social programmes, cutting extreme poverty in half. But falling gas revenues, from $6.1bn in 2013 to $1.6bn last year, and delays in lithium exploitation have left the government struggling to pay for basic imports.