Bolivia heads into an Oct. 19 runoff between centrist Rodrigo Paz Pereira and right-wing ex-president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga after nearly 20 years of socialist rule.

As Bolivia swings to the right, Bianna Golodryga speaks to Christopher Sabatini, senior fellow for Latin America at Chatham House, about what the results mean for Bolivia and for Latin America.

Bolivian presidential candidate Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga of the conservative Alianza Libre coalition reacts, as official results show him in second place in Sunday's presidential race, in La Paz, Bolivia, August 17, 2025. REUTERS/Claudia Morales

One candidate is Rodrigo Paz, a conservative centrist senator and son of a neoliberal ex-president who is pitching himself as a moderate reformer. The other is former right-wing president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga,

Senator Rodrigo Paz, the surprise top finisher in Bolivia's first-round presidential election, spent years traveling the country, posting hundreds of social media videos and honing his image like a fu

A well-known figure in Bolivian politics, Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, 65, is a conservative candidate representing the Alianza Libre coalition. He briefly served as president from 2001 to 2002 and has worked as an IMF consultant and a mining executive.

Rodrigo Paz, who had trailed in the polls, won the first round of the presidential election on Sunday, as decades of dominance by a leftist party neared an end.

Bolivia’s charismatic, long-serving ex-President Evo Morales told The Associated Press on Saturday that he didn’t know what to do about threats by the right-wing presidential candidates to arrest him if they came to power.