Elections in Bolivia

Rodrigo Paz Pereira, candidate of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC), was elected president of Bolivia on October 19 with just over 54 percent of the vote, after defeating Jorge Tuto Quiroga, leader of the right-wing Libre coalition, in the runoff election. Following the decline of the MAS (Movimiento al Socialismo) and Evo Morales, who has since left the party, Paz, who is considered more moderate than his opponent Quiroga, has now prevailed.

Paz won the presidency thanks to votes from the left and indigenous groups. “But his program and his alliances are entirely in line with neoliberal politics,” said Steffen Heinzelmann in an interview with NPLA. He focuses on values such as the church, family, and the fatherland. Under the slogan “capitalism for all,” he plans reforms in favor of private companies, while at the same time wanting to review state-owned companies, social programs, and subsidies.

Redaction: Ulli Jentsch