Overview
- Early official results give Paz 32.8% and Quiroga 26.4% of ballots with over 91% counted, falling short of the thresholds needed to win outright.
- No candidate from the ruling Movement Toward Socialism party advanced as infighting, Morales’s disqualification and Arce’s withdrawal fractured the left.
- Bolivia’s worst economic crisis in decades—driving inflation toward 25% and causing fuel and dollar shortages—prompted voters to punish the governing bloc.
- About 19% of ballots were invalid or null after Evo Morales urged supporters to spoil their votes, underscoring deep polarization and the risk of unrest.
- Quiroga has pledged sharp fiscal adjustments and to open lithium reserves to foreign investors, while Paz advocates moderate reforms and anti-corruption measures.