Immersed in a severe economic crisis, Bolivians will elect their next president today in an election in which the right appears poised to close the cycle begun twenty years ago by former socialist president Evo Morales. The Andean country of 11.3 million people heads to the polls weary of dollar and fuel shortages, a consequence of a struggling economy, and with its eyes fixed on prices.

Annual inflation is approaching 25%, a 17-year high. Blamed for the debacle , outgoing President Luis Arce, once supported by Evo Morales but now in conflict with him, has withdrawn from a second term. Andrónico Rodríguez, president of the Senate, also a leftist, and Eduardo del Castillo, the candidate of the Movement for Socialism (MAS), in power since 2006, remain far behind in the polls. In this context, two right-wing candidates, among the eight running, are vying for first place: center-right millionaire Samuel Doria Medina, 66, and former right-wing president Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, 65.

The latest polls give the former 21% and the latter 20%, compared to Andronico Rodríguez's 5.5% and Eduardo del Castillo's 1.5%.

Barring any surprises, the two frontrunners are expected to face off in the second round on October 19th, in an unprecedented right-wing duel. Both promise to break with the statist model established by Evo Morales, a leading figure on the Latin American left. Under his presidency (2006-2019), poverty decreased and GDP tripled, but the decline in gas revenues since 2017 has plunged the country into crisis.

"We will change everything, absolutely everything. It's been 20 years of waste," said 'Tuto' Quiroga, a 65-year-old engineer who served as interim president for a year (2001-2002).

(Unioneonline)

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