Elections in Bolivia: Rodrigo Paz wins over “Tuto” Quiroga at the polls

LA PAZ, Bolivia (EFE).- The centrist opposition senator Rodrigo Paz Pereira, political heir of the former president of Bolivia Jaime Paz Zamora, beat the former conservative president Jorge Tuto Quiroga in the historic second round in the country with the boost of the popular vote and with the promise of promoting “capitalism for all.”

Former deputy, former mayor, economist by profession and born in Spain due to the exile of his parents, Rodrigo Paz Pereira won the second round with 54.57% of the vote, compared to 45.43% obtained by Quiroga (2001-2002), according to the Preliminary Results Transmission System (Sirepre) of the electoral body, with 97.68% of the minutes counted.

Rodrigo Paz Pereira, 58, was the main revelation in the first round held on August 17, in which he came first, despite the fact that pre-election polls initially placed him with little support.

This was repeated in the second round, since the polls predicted Quiroga’s victory.

Who is Rodrigo Paz Pereira?

Son of the Spanish Carmen Pereira and former president Paz Zamora (1989-1993), the politician was born in Santiago de Compostela in 1967 and lived his childhood in several countries because his parents were persecuted during military governments.

Paz is an economist and has studies in international relations, in addition to extensive experience in the public sector having been a deputy, councilor, mayor of the southern city of Tarija between 2015 and 2020 and is still a senator for the opposition Citizen Community (CC), of former president Carlos Mesa (2003-2005).

To become Mayor of Tarija, Paz defeated the government Movement for Socialism (MAS) in the 2015 municipal elections, led by then-president Evo Morales (2006-2019).

Rodrigo Paz’s success in the first round was attributed by experts to the connection he achieved with the popular classes in rural and peri-urban areas, spaces where in the last elections the MAS triumphed, which in the general elections of August 17 barely achieved the 3% required to avoid losing the acronym.

This support was worked on by the opponent since his arrival in the Senate, since in his social networks it can be seen that since 2021 he has toured numerous Bolivian municipalities, even actively participating in popular patron saint festivals and folklore parades together with different unions.

Others attribute this support to his running mate in the Christian Democratic Party (PDC), former police officer Edman Lara, who became popular on social networks for his revelations of alleged cases of corruption in the police institution, until he was discharged in 2024.

Although Lara has also been highly criticized for some controversial statements such as a warning to his presidential candidate, comparing Bolivia and corruption to cancer patients, or calling Quiroga a “coward and faggot” (sic).

Rodrigo Paz has always defended the former police officer, although they have been seen as distant during the campaign.

“Capitalism for everyone”

Quiroga’s followers have insisted that the senator and the PDC are a kind of ‘Trojan horse’ of the MAS and Evo Morales, after different social sectors that were related to the government party expressed their support, which Paz denied.

The motto of his campaign has been ‘Capitalism for all’, with “cheap” credits for entrepreneurs, a reduction in taxes and tariffs for the import of technology and vehicles, in addition to ending the “Lock State” and granting 50% of the general budget directly to the nine Bolivian regions.

Another of his electoral offers is the legalization of ‘chutos’ or vehicles without papers, criticized especially in Chile, where it is reported that many of these cars were stolen in that nation and sold in the Andean country, although Paz assures that cars with reports of theft will be returned to their place of origin.

He also ruled out “going abroad to ask for money” because he does not want “Bolivia to be a slave to any international bank” and promised that the country will have the fuel it currently lacks, on November 8, the day of the presidential inauguration.

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