Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
2025 Bolivian general election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
General elections were held in Bolivia on 17 August 2025 to elect the president, vice president, and all members of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly. Incumbent president Luis Arce of the ruling Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS-IPSP) did not seek reelection, amid internal party divisions and widespread dissatisfaction over shortages of essential goods. No candidate secured a majority in the presidential election, leading to a runoff on 19 October 2025 between Senator Rodrigo Paz Pereira of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) and former president Jorge Quiroga of Libre. Paz Pereira won with 55.0% of the vote, marking the first time in Bolivian history that the presidency changed hands through a runoff election and ending two decades of MAS dominance. Incumbent party MAS suffered near total annihilation, retaining only two seats in the Chamber of Deputies and losing all seats in the Senate.[1]
.jpg)
_-_Resultados_por_departamento.svg)
Remove ads
Background
Summarize
Perspective
The election was held amid a schism within the ruling Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) between incumbent president Luis Arce and former president Evo Morales. The former allies fell out after Arce's election in 2020, when Morales—returning from exile following the political unrest triggered by his contested reelection bid—sought to regain control of the party.[2] Public dissatisfaction with the Arce government was further spurred by shortages of essential goods like gasoline, diesel, food, and medicine in late 2024 and early 2025.[3][4]
Morales announced his intention to run as the candidate of the Front for Victory (FPV), despite a ban from the Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal on his running for president again.[5] The government subsequently deregistered the FPV, citing its failure to meet the mandatory 3% threshold in the previous election.[6] In reaction to being barred from the race, Morales called for a boycott of the vote. From a rural compound guarded by supporters,[7] he promised to mobilize his supporters and "give battle on the streets" if a right-wing candidate won.[8] Right-wing figures like Jorge Quiroga vowed to arrest Morales if they won, leading rural coca unions such as the Six Federations to pledge a guerrilla war in his defense.[9]
On 14 May 2025, President Arce announced he would not seek a second term.[10][11] The MAS nominated government minister Eduardo Del Castillo in his place. Two days later, on 16 May, demonstrators attempting to register Morales as a candidate clashed with police in La Paz.[12][13]
Meanwhile, right-leaning parties formed a Unity Bloc to oppose the MAS; its candidates included Samuel Doria Medina and Jorge Quiroga. Several candidates, including Quiroga and Chi Hyun Chung, registered their campaigns using minor party labels, such as the Revolutionary Left Front (FRI) and the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR), despite the historical ideological differences between these parties and the candidates.[14]
Remove ads
Electoral system
Summarize
Perspective
Approximately 7.9 million people were eligible to vote in the 2025 election.[15]
The President is elected through a modified two-round system. A candidate wins outright in the first round by receiving either more than 50% of the vote, or at least 40% of the vote and a lead of 10 percentage points over the nearest rival.[16] If neither condition is met, a run-off is held between the top two candidates.[17]
The 130 members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected through a mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) system with two votes:
- 63 deputies are elected by first-past-the-post in single-member districts.[citation needed]
- 60 deputies are elected by party-list proportional representation from closed lists on a departmental basis, using a 3% electoral threshold.[18] These list seats are allocated to parties proportionally based on the presidential vote, subtracting the seats they won in single-member districts to ensure overall proportionality.
- 7 deputies are reserved for indigenous representatives and elected by usos y costumbres (customary law). A voter may only vote in one type of constituency (coexistence).[19]
- Electoral rules mandate gender parity: party lists must alternate between men and women. For single-member districts, a male candidate must have a female alternate, and vice versa, ensuring that women hold at least 50% of these seats.[citation needed]
- The 36 members of the Chamber of Senators—four from each of the nine departments—are elected from closed party lists using the D'Hondt method.[19] Senate seats are also awarded based on the presidential vote.
This election uses a form of the double simultaneous vote, meaning a single vote is used to elect the President (first round), Deputies, and Senators simultaneously. Consequently, voters cannot split their ticket between the executive and legislative branches, though they can vote for a different party in the single-member deputy district elections.[citation needed]
Voting is compulsory for all citizens over 18. Voters receive a card as proof of participation, which is required to withdraw one's salary from a bank for three months following the election.[20] This compulsory voting is linked to a relatively high rate of invalid ballots,[21] a factor often reflected in poll percentages for "would not vote."
Remove ads
Candidates
Summarize
Perspective
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.png)
.jpg)
Withdrew
_Alejandra_Vaca,_Chamber_of_Senators_of_Bolivia.jpg)
Disqualified candidates
The following notable individuals were the subject of speculation or declared their intention to run but were declared ineligible by the Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal (TCP) or were otherwise unable to register as candidates.
- Evo Morales (EVO Pueblo) – 65th President of Bolivia (2006–2019).[24]
- Chi Hyun Chung (AMAR) – Physician and presidential candidate in the 2019 Bolivian general election.[25]
- Jaime Dunn (NGP) – Financial adviser.[26]
Declined to run
The following notable individuals were the subject of speculation about a potential candidacy but publicly declined to run:
- Luis Arce (MAS-IPSP) – Former president of Bolivia (2020–2025). Initially considered a candidate, he later announced he would not seek re-election.[27][28][10]
- Carlos Mesa (CC) – Former president of Bolivia (2003–2005).[29][30]
- Luis Fernando Camacho (Creemos) – Governor of Santa Cruz (2021–2024). Currently in prison.[31][32]
- Eduardo Rodríguez Veltzé (Independent) – Former president of Bolivia (2005–2006).[33]
- Rubén Costas (MDS) – Former governor of the department of Santa Cruz (2015–2021).[34]
- Branko Marinković (ADN) – Former minister of economy and public finance (2020).[35]
- Amparo Ballivián – Former minister of housing.[36]
- Vicente Cuéllar (Cambio25) – Rector of the Gabriel René Moreno Autonomous University.[37]
- Jaime Soliz (PDC) – Former prosecutor of the department of Santa Cruz (2005–2010).[38]
Former President of Bolivia Luis Arce
Former president of Bolivia Carlos Mesa
_Cropped_III.png)
.png)
Remove ads
Campaign
Summarize
Perspective
The campaign was marked by the first televised debate in 20 years, following a ban imposed during Evo Morales's presidency. The debates featured sharp exchanges, including Samuel Doria Medina's accusations that Eduardo del Castillo had links to drug traffickers and del Castillo's criticism of Doria Medina's past electoral failures. Andrónico Rodríguez and Jorge Quiroga also clashed over alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings.[15]
Candidate platforms
The right-leaning candidates, Samuel Doria Medina and Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, presented similar platforms focused on economic liberalization and a foreign policy re-alignment. Both pledged to:
- Arrest former president Evo Morales.[39][40]
- Restore diplomatic relations with the United States and Israel.[41]
- Cut public spending and eliminate fuel subsidies.[42][40]
- Partially reverse the nationalizations under Morales and attract foreign investment, particularly for lithium mining.[39][42]
- Dismantle inefficient state-owned companies.[42]
Doria Medina specifically promised to resolve fuel shortages within his first 100 days, a goal reflected in his campaign slogan, "100 days, dammit!"—a phrase he used after surviving a 2005 plane crash.[40][43] He also pledged to maintain anti-poverty programs.[44]
Quiroga proposed a more radical economic overhaul, praising Argentine president Javier Milei's libertarian policies. His proposals included:
- Closing the Central Bank of Bolivia, which he accused of being a "credit card" for the Arce administration.[42]
- Establishing a "popular property title" valued at $1,500 for every adult Bolivian to use as loan collateral.[41]
- Seeking a $12 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund.[41]
- A "liberal ownership revolution" to replace collective Indigenous land titles with individual, inheritable rights.[45]
- Canceling lithium agreements with Russia and China signed under Arce.[46]
- Distancing Bolivia from Iran and withdrawing recognition of Nicolás Maduro as president of Venezuela.[45]
Rodrigo Paz campaigned on a platform of "Capitalism for All",[47] which included:
- A "50–50 economic model" where half of public funds would be managed by regional governments.[41]
- Cutting $1.2 billion in fuel subsidies while retaining assistance for schoolchildren and the elderly.[46][48]
- Using blockchain for transparency and creating a currency stabilization fund that incorporates cryptocurrency.[41]
- Opposing Doria Medina's proposals for foreign lithium investment and IMF loans.[47]
The MAS candidate, Eduardo del Castillo, campaigned under the slogan "We Are a National Option with Authentic Ideas,"[15] while his party colleague Andrónico Rodríguez ran on a platform of "Unity for All" and also supported cutting fuel subsidies.[15][49]
Environmental and post-first round dynamics
On environmental policy, both Paz and Quiroga supported using carbon bonds. Quiroga advocated for expanding biofuel production and soy and cattle farming in eastern Bolivia, while Paz pledged to crack down on illegal gold mining and regulate agricultural fires.[50]
After being barred from the election, Evo Morales called the vote illegitimate, labeled Rodríguez a "traitor", and urged his supporters to cast null ballots. He claimed that if null votes exceeded the winning candidate's share - a situation that eventually did not materialize, as both candidates who advanced to the runoff exceeded the null vote share - it would represent a victory for him.[40][51]
Following the first round, Samuel Doria Medina endorsed Rodrigo Paz for the runoff.[52]
Remove ads
Opinion polls
Runoff
First round
.svg)
After registration of candidacies
Before registration of candidacies
2021–2024
Remove ads
Conduct
Voting for the first round took place on 17 August 2025, with polls open from 08:00 to 16:00.[83]
The day was marked by several security incidents. In Chapare Province, former president Evo Morales cast a null ballot while being protected by a human chain of coca growers' union members, who were shielding him from a potential arrest.[1]
In Entre Ríos, Cochabamba, Andrónico Rodríguez was targeted by a mob that threw stones at him as he went to vote, requiring a soldier to escort him.[84] Rodríguez blamed the attack on "a small group of extremists identified as supporters of Morales."[85] An explosive device was later detonated at the same polling station, though it caused no significant damage or injuries.[86]
Remove ads
Results
Summarize
Perspective
The first-round results ended two decades of left-wing dominance in Bolivia and produced the country's first-ever presidential runoff,[87] defying pre-election polls.[1][85] In a surprise outcome, centrist Rodrigo Paz Pereira led with 32.06% of the vote, followed by conservative Jorge Quiroga Ramírez with 26.70%, while Samuel Doria Medina (19.69%) was eliminated.[85] True to his pledge to back the leading candidate if defeated, Doria Medina endorsed Paz for the runoff.[88] Altogether, right-leaning candidates obtained more than 78% of the vote.
The ruling Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) suffered a historic setback. Its nominees, Andrónico Rodríguez (8.51%) and Eduardo del Castillo (3.17%), failed to reach the second round—marking the party's first presidential loss in twenty years.[87] MAS was nearly wiped out in Congress, losing all 21 Senate seats and retaining only two of its 75 in the Chamber of Deputies.[89] The election also saw an unusually high protest vote, with invalid and blank ballots exceeding 20% of the total.[90] Former president Evo Morales, who had urged supporters to cast null votes after his exclusion from the race, hailed the result as a symbolic victory.[91][85]
The presidential runoff took place on 19 October 2025.[92] Preliminary results released after 21:00 local time showed Rodrigo Paz winning with 54.53% of the vote against Jorge Quiroga's 45.47%.[93] Quiroga conceded several hours later,[94] acknowledging Paz's victory and calling on his supporters and the nation to pursue reconciliation and a peaceful transition of power.[95]
President
Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Senators
Remove ads
Reactions
Argentina: President Javier Milei congratulated both Rodrigo Paz and the Bolivian people on his election victory, and stating that Bolivia "left behind 20 years of the failed model that was Socialism of the 21st century."[96]
Brazil: President Lula da Silva congratulated Rodrigo Paz on his election victory, and talked about preserving relations between Bolivia and Brazil.[97]
Chile: President Gabriel Boric congratulated Rodrigo Paz on his election victory, reaffirming Chile's "commitment to strengthening cooperation and joint work between brotherly nations for the benefit of our peoples." Boric also praised the Bolivian people for their participation in the runoff between Paz and Quiroga.[98]
Israel: Foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar congratulated Rodrigo Paz, stating that Bolivia and Israel will "turn a new page and fully renew diplomatic relations between the countries." Relations between the two countries were strained since the start of the Gaza war in 2023.[99]
Paraguay: President Santiago Peña congratulated Rodrigo Paz on his election win, and emphasized the "brotherly ties" between Bolivia and Paraguay.[100]
Peru: President José Jeri congratulated Rodrigo Paz, and stated that the relations between the two countries are a "priority".[101][102]
United States: Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated Rodrigo Paz saying that his victory marks the end of nearly two decades of "government mismanagement and bad governance in Bolivia" and also pledged to work with the incoming Bolivian administration to help them fight against drug cartels and criminal gangs.[citation needed] Shortly before the second round of elections, Rubio said on 15 October 2025 that the two leading candidates (Libre and the PDC), "want better relations with the United States after years of anti-American leadership in Bolivia" and also said that the election would be a "transformative opportunity'.[92]
Remove ads
See also
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads