“Twenty years are nothing,” Gardel sang. In Bolivia, they’ve been a lifetime: four MAS governments, Evo turned into his own statue, Arce fading into irrelevance, and now the country taking a sudden sharp turn.
The numbers are clear: Rodrigo Paz Pereira, son of Jaime Paz Zamora, born in exile and former mayor of Tarija, stunned everyone by coming first with just over 32 %. A result that shook half the continent.
Trailing him, Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, the textbook neoliberal, with 27 %. Back like an old vinyl record that refuses to die, promising “order” for an economy gasping for air.
Samuel Doria Medina, the businessman, finished third but already delivered his support to Paz Pereira for the runoff. A deal is a deal.
And the MAS? Barely 3 %. Just enough to survive legally as a party. With one tragicomic twist: a massive 19 % of ballots cast null, following Evo Morales’ call to vandalise the vote as a protest mural.
The backdrop is harsh: inflation at 25 %, foreign reserves drained to the bone, and a country bracing for austerity rather than celebration.
On October 19, Bolivia won’t just be electing a president. It will be deciding what to do with two decades of inheritance: toss it in the bin, or recycle it with some grace.
One thing is certain: Evo and Arce are now history. And in politics, twenty years can indeed feel like an eternity.
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