Ball Ball indicates 2nd shift in Bolivia: See who are the best placed candidates

Rodrigo Paz and Jorge ‘Tuto’ Quiroga should play the second round of presidential elections in Bolivia. AFP The presidential elections in Bolivia point to a second round between two names that represent different paths to the country. According to polls of ballot box released on Sunday (17) by local TV Unitel and Ipsos Ciesmori, centrist senator Rodrigo Paz, of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC), leads with 31.3% of the votes, followed by former conservative president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga of the Alianza Libre coalition with 27.3%. The second round is scheduled for October 19th. Rodrigo Paz, the bet of center Rodrigo Paz Pereira, 55, seeks to establish himself as a center alternative amid Bolivian political polarization. Son of former President Jaime Paz Zamora (1989–1993), he grew up in a politicized environment. He was a deputy, councilman and mayor of Tarija, where he was known for prioritizing infrastructure and fiscal management works. He is currently a senator and presents himself as a moderate leadership, capable of dialogue with both conservative sectors and progressive groups. Its campaign defends economic stabilization, attraction of foreign investments and strengthening of democratic institutions. Paz has gained support mainly between young urban and voters who seek to break with the radicalization cycle that has marked Bolivian policy in the last 20 years. However, its trajectory is also marked by controversies. During his management in Tarija, he faced accusations of irregularities in a millionaire project to build a bridge over the Guadalquivir River, nicknamed “Puente Millonario”. The Public Prosecution Service opened an investigation into alleged contracting and execution problems. Peace denies the accusations and states that he is the target of “political persecution” of Movimiento Al Socialism (but), which ruled Bolivia for two decades. Jorge ‘Tuto’ Quiroga, an old acquaintance at the age of 65, Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga is a historic name of the Bolivian right. Graduated in Engineering in the United States, he began his public career as vice president of Hugo Banzer Suárez. He assumed the presidency of Bolivia in 2001, after Banzer’s death, and ruled until 2002. During this short term, he sought approach with the US and applied liberal economic measures, a mark that continued to define its political trajectory. After leaving the government, Quiroga tried to return to the Quema Palace in 2005 and 2014, to no avail. Even out of power, he maintained active presence in the political debate, being one of the main critics of the governments of Evo Morales and Luis Arce. In the 2025 election, he launched himself by the Libre coalition (Libertad y Democracy), formed by right-wing and center-right parties. Defends cuts of subsidies considered inefficient, modernization of the state, combat drug trafficking and greater economic openness. But it also carries controversy. He was protagonist behind the scenes of the 2019 crisis when Evo Morales left the country after accusations of electoral fraud. According to the Bolivian information agency, Quiroga participated in the negotiations in the Catholic Church that preceded the departure of Morales and authorized the flight that led the then president to exile. Subsequently, he was appointed international representative by the Government of Jeanine Añez, but resigned to dispute the presidency in 2020. In addition, in 2025, he broke with an opposition block that sought to unify candidacies against MAS. The reason was the use of electoral polls as a criterion for choosing the coalition representative, which he considered unfair. The decision to compete alone for Libre was criticized by opponents who accused him of placing personal ambitions above the opposition unit. A country in crisis and fragmented the ballot boxes reflect a country plunged into economic and political crisis. Bolivia faces inflation at historical levels, scarcity of fuel and food, and sharp drop in international reserves. The long lines to get basic items have become a symbol of popular discontent. In the political field, the Movimo Al socialism (but) arrives weakened. Evo Morales was prevented from running for the Electoral Court, and current President Luis Arce gave up the dispute amid internal divisions. Without unified leadership, the party that ruled Bolivia for two decades has lost protagonism and must play a marginal role in this election. The result projects a second round between Rodrigo Paz and Jorge Quiroga, in a clash that symbolizes the exhaustion of the cycle of the MAS and the search for new directions: on the one hand, a centrist accused of local irregularities that presents itself as renewal; On the other hand, an experienced conservative marked by controversies at decisive moments of recent politics. *With information from Reuters and AP. Bolivia: right -wing candidates are favorites in election this Sunday

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