Bolivia, a country long defined by its leftist politics and social movements, has turned a dramatic page. On October 19, 2025, Rodrigo Paz clinched victory in the presidential runoff, becoming Bolivia’s first conservative president in two decades. The win, with 54.5% of the vote over rival Jorge Quiroga’s 45%, marks a seismic shift in the nation’s political landscape, ending the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party’s two-decade dominance and signaling a new era of engagement with the West.
Paz, a centrist senator and the son of former president Jaime Paz Zamora, was hardly a household name at the outset of the campaign. Yet, his message of pragmatic reform and his partnership with Edman Lara—a former police captain turned social media sensation—galvanized working-class and rural voters disillusioned with the economic turmoil and corruption that had plagued recent MAS governments. According to AP, Paz’s victory was widely viewed as an upset, given his initial low standing in the polls and the MAS party’s historic grip on power.
Celebrations erupted in the streets of La Paz on Sunday night as supporters set off fireworks, honked car horns, and waved flags. “We feel victorious,” said Roger Carrillo, a volunteer with Paz’s party, as quoted by CBC. “We know there is work ahead of us, but we just want to enjoy this moment.” The euphoria, however, was tempered by the daunting challenges facing the new administration.
The Bolivian economy is in crisis. The country has been grappling with a severe shortage of U.S. dollars, leaving many citizens locked out of their own savings and struggling to pay for essential imports. Fuel lines snake through major cities, and year-on-year inflation soared to 23% in September 2025—the highest since 1991. The commodities boom that once filled government coffers under former president Evo Morales has faded, replaced by mounting deficits and dwindling reserves.
Paz’s economic plan is a delicate balancing act. He has vowed to phase out Bolivia’s fixed exchange rate, gradually reduce generous fuel subsidies, and cut back on public investment—a sharp departure from the MAS economic model. Yet, he insists that “MAS-style benefits” such as cash handouts for the poor will remain, at least in the short term. “Today we have a blind subsidy, we subsidize fuel for everyone. So what we’ll do is target the subsidy to poorer families through direct cash transfers, while keeping gasoline prices stable for transport workers,” said José Gabriel Espinoza, leader of Paz’s economic team, in comments to the AP. Congress has already approved a $3.5 billion loan to be disbursed in the coming months, and Paz is working on securing another $600 million to balance the books within his first 60 days in office.
Unlike his opponent, Quiroga, who advocated for a fiscal shock package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Paz has rejected an IMF bailout—an unpopular move in a country with deep-seated resentment toward such international organizations. Instead, Paz is looking to rebuild relations with the United States and other Western partners. “We will have a fluid relationship and commitments to cooperation and joint work between both nations,” Paz said at a news conference, as reported by AP. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed this sentiment, stating that Paz’s victory “marks a transformative opportunity for both nations” to collaborate on investment, immigration, and security.
Repairing foreign relations extends beyond Washington. Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, congratulated Paz on his victory and expressed hope for a renewal of diplomatic ties. Bolivia had severed relations with Israel in November 2023 under the MAS government, following the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023. “We extend our warm wishes to the Bolivian people for their democratic process and their choice for renewal,” Sa’ar posted on X, noting Bolivia’s long history of friendship with Israel. The new administration’s overtures to Western partners signal a clear break with the previous government’s alliances with Venezuela, China, and Russia.
Paz underscored this shift by holding a video call with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who recently won the Nobel Peace Prize. He assured her that Bolivia was “here to join in the fight for Venezuela and for Latin American democracies,” a move that further distances Bolivia from the repressive regime of Nicolás Maduro and aligns it with pro-democracy forces in the region.
Yet, Paz’s victory is not without controversy. Protests erupted in La Paz and the prosperous eastern region of Santa Cruz on October 20, with Quiroga supporters alleging electoral fraud. “I don’t trust it at all,” said Shelly Sánchez, a protester in La Paz, to the AP. Memories of the disputed 2019 election, which ended with Morales’s ouster amid mass protests and military pressure, still linger. Quiroga, for his part, conceded defeat and urged calm, warning that refusing to recognize the results would “leave the country hanging,” according to CBC.
Paz’s path to victory was paved in part by his choice of running mate. Edman Lara, a charismatic young ex-policeman, gained national fame after being fired for denouncing corruption in viral TikTok videos. Out of work, he sold second-hand clothes and worked as a lawyer, helping others come forward about corruption—a story that resonated deeply with former MAS supporters. Many voters said they cast their ballots for Lara as much as for Paz. “Lara is the one acting more like a president than Paz. Many of us think Lara will end up running the country,” said Wendy Cornejo, a former Morales supporter, to CBC.
The new government faces a complex political landscape. While Paz’s Christian Democratic Party holds a slight majority in Congress, he will need to forge alliances to push through ambitious reforms. A key priority is constitutional change, particularly judicial reform. Under Morales, the 2009 constitution gave Indigenous and grassroots groups a greater role in politics and overhauled the judiciary. Paz has pledged to respect these commitments but insists that “first you put the house in order quickly,” promising to convene a summit to produce concrete proposals the day after his inauguration on November 8.
This approach has stirred anxiety among Bolivia’s Indigenous majority, who gained historic political representation under Morales. Paz has sought to reassure these communities, emphasizing his respect for their rights while signaling the need for institutional renewal. “It does not give you a blank check,” Morales warned Paz and Lara, cautioning them not to implement neoliberal measures or repress dissent.
Internationally, Paz’s victory is seen as a chance for Bolivia to rejoin the global community after years of isolation. The United States, Israel, and other Western nations have welcomed the result as an opportunity for renewed cooperation. Yet, the road ahead is fraught with economic, social, and political challenges. Paz’s ability to deliver on his promises, maintain social cohesion, and restore faith in Bolivia’s institutions will define the country’s trajectory in the coming years.
For now, Bolivia stands at a crossroads—its future uncertain, but its people hopeful that winds of change will bring the stability and renewal they so desperately seek.
