Bolivia's ruling left suffers heavy blow as runoff looms
Centrist Rodrigo Paz leads vote, MAS faces its weakest result in decades.
The latest news on Bolivia. Bolivia's presidential race is heading to a runoff in October after centrist senator Rodrigo Paz emerged as the unexpected frontrunner in Sunday's election, leaving the long-dominant Movement for Socialism (MAS) trailing far behind.
Rodrigo Paz secured 32.18% of the vote, with movement for Socialism (MAS) trailing far behind with 3.16% of the vote. Early results pointed to the left-wing party's poorest showing in a generation, despite calls from former president Evo Morales to boycott the vote.
Conservative Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga secured a place in the second round, while other candidates conceded and signalled support for Paz. With inflation eroding household incomes and economic discontent mounting, voters delivered a clear message of change.
"Bolivia is not just asking for a change in government, it's asking for a change in the political system," Paz said in a speech broadcast on Sunday night. "This is the beginning of a great victory, of a great transformation," he added, as his supporters chanted "renewal."
