Polls close in Bolivia as right wing expected to make gains

Nearly 8M Bolivians were eligible to vote in crisis-hit country right-wing rivals Doria Medina, Quiroga seek to unseat long-time left-wing government

By Ahmet Salih Alacaci

WASHINGTON (AA) - Polls closed across Bolivia on Sunday after a day of voting, with nearly 8 million people eligible to elect a new president and Congress amid the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.

The eight hours of voting, which came to an end at 4 pm local time (2100GMT), were marked by tensions but largely free of major disruptions, according to the Andean country’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal.

Sunday’s ballot is seen as a turning point after almost 20 years of dominance by the leftist Movement for Socialism (MAS), founded by former president Evo Morales.

Pre-election surveys suggested a runoff—the first since the country’s 2009 Constitution—with right-wing rivals Samuel Doria Medina and Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga leading the race, polls show.

Doria Medina, a 66-year-old businessman and former planning minister, and Quiroga, 65, a former interim president, have pledged to dismantle Bolivia’s state-led economic model, which many blame for dollar and fuel shortages, soaring prices, and mass protests.

President Luis Arce, who chose not to run, voted in the capital, La Paz, and promised to hand over power in November when his term expired. He urged citizens to vote together, claiming that his government has "recovered and preserved democracy" since 2020, local daily La Razon reported.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal said all 34,026 polling stations opened as scheduled, with only minor delays abroad, La Razon reported.

Acting President Oscar Hassenteufel reportedly confirmed that counting would begin at 6 pm, with preliminary results being announced after 9 pm local time, and official tallies due within seven days.

Isolated violence marred the vote. In Cochabamba’s Tropic region, Alianza Popular candidate Andronico Rodríguez was pelted with stones after casting his ballot, while police reported more than 1,500 arrests nationwide and an explosion at a polling station in Entre Ríos, though no fatalities were reported, according to El Deber, another local newspaper.

Eight candidates are in the running. With nearly 30% of voters undecided or expected to cast blank or null ballots, the outcome remains uncertain. A runoff, if required, will take place Oct. 19.

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