PNN – Political disagreements within the former ruling party and the economic crisis in Bolivia led to the end of two decades of socialist rule in the country with the election of Rodrigo Paz.
Bolivians went to the polls on Sunday to elect their new president in the second round of the 2025 presidential election. In this round, Senator Rodrigo Paz was elected as the new president of Bolivia with 54.5 percent of the votes cast.
This marked the end of two decades of leftist socialist rule in Bolivia, amidst an economic crisis. In his first remarks after the election results were announced, Paz said the country was “gradually regaining its place on the international stage.”
Pro-Paz media reported that as the results were announced, the streets of La Paz were filled with supporters of the president-elect, with the sound of firecrackers, shouts of joy, and music.
Jorge Toto Quiroga, Paz’s opponent in this election, admitted his defeat and said in a hotel in La Paz: I called Rodrigo Paz and congratulated him.
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Speaking to the media, Vice President-elect Edmund Lara called for unity and reconciliation among Bolivians.
Paz pursues an economic program focused on reducing public spending, especially fuel subsidies, and opening up more to the private sector, advocating the concept of “capitalism for all” based on decentralization and fiscal discipline before any new debt.
Washington and the Trump administration congratulated Paz on his victory, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that the United States stands ready to work with Bolivia on shared priorities.
Who is Rodrigo Paz?
Rodrigo Paz Pereira (born September 22, 1967) is a Bolivian politician. He is the son of Carmen Pereira Carballo, President of Bolivia in the early 1990s. Paz spent his childhood and adolescence in political exile, a result of his father’s political activism during the military dictatorships of the 1970s and early 1980s. Paz attended American University in Washington, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in international relations with a minor in economics and a master’s degree in political administration.
He has been serving as Senator of Tarija since 2020, and previously served as Mayor of Tarija from 2015 to 2020 and President of the Tarija Municipal Council from 2010 to 2015. He was the sole member of the Chamber of Deputies from Tarija from 2005 to 2010.
In the first round of the presidential election, held on August 17, he came first with about 32% of the vote and won yesterday’s election against Jorge Quiroga.