Bolivia’s general elections were closed at 4 pm local time (17h in Brasilia) this Sunday, 17, on a day marked by an explosion near the Left Candidate, Andronics Rodríguez. According to Bolivia’s Supreme Electoral Court (TSE), preliminary results should be released from 21h local (22h in Brasilia), with the total count scheduled to be completed within 72 hours.
At a news conference, the president of the TSE, Oscar Hassentufel, described the day of voting as “positive” and said that 100% of the 34,026 electoral sections installed in the nine departments of the country were open.
According to Bolivian electoral legislation, a candidate may win in the first round if he obtains more than 50% of the votes or, alternatively, reaching at least 40% with a minimum difference of 10 percentage points over second place.
The presidential candidates are: Samuel Doria Medina (Front of National Unity), Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga (Libre), Andronics Rodríguez (Popular Alliance), Eduardo Del Castillo (Movement to Socialism), Jhonny Fernández (Popular Force Alliance), Manfred Reyes Villa (APB-SUMATE), Rodrigo Paz Pereira (Christian Democratic Party) Nationalist).
Recent research indicates that the election could lead to the second round two right -wing candidates: Samuel Doria Medina and Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, whose dispute is scheduled for October 19.
The movement to socialism (but), in power almost uninterrupted since 2006 – with the only exception of Jeanine Añez’s interim mandate between 2019 and 2020 – faces a considerable risk of losing political hegemony.
See also:
- Election in Bolivia: Without being able to compete, Evo Morales says he does not support any candidate
In recent years, the party has been marked by intense internal conflicts, especially between the current president, Luis Arce, and his former political godfather, Evo Morales (president between 2006 and 2019), who disputed who would be the acronym candidate in 2025.
Internal tensions in the but included court disputes, accusations of betrayal, clashes between supporters, major protests and even military mobilization in June 2024 – whose nature remains poorly clarified, being considered a possible self -ogolpe by “Evist” sectors and the right opposition. These episodes have turned old allies into political enemies and reflect the party’s fragmentation on the eve of the election.
Bolivia’s electoral scenario reflects a combination of political tension, internal fragmentation of the but and expectations of change. The possible victory of opposition candidates or the maintenance of the but will depend on the performance at the polls and the consolidation of results in the next 72 hours.
The 2025 election will be an important test to measure the political force of left and right forces in Bolivia, while highlighting the complexity and volatility of the Andean country’s political scenario.
