So, Bolivia finally did it. After nearly two decades of one-party dominance that felt like it might never end, the 2025 election cycle just flipped the table. Honestly, if you’d asked anyone in La Paz or Santa Cruz a year ago if we’d see a center-right victory this decisive, they probably would’ve laughed you out of the room. But the bolivia 2025 presidential election final results tse released by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) tell a story of a country that simply ran out of patience.
It wasn't just a win; it was a total reconfiguration of the Andean political map.
The Numbers That Broke the Status Quo
Let’s get into the weeds of the numbers because that’s where the real shock lives. The TSE officially confirmed that Rodrigo Paz Pereira—a man who started the race polling in the single digits—won the runoff on October 19, 2025, with 54.96% of the vote. His rival, former president Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, trailed behind at 45.04%.
Think about that gap. It’s nearly 10 percentage points. In a country as polarized as Bolivia, that's practically a landslide.
What’s even crazier is the turnout. Despite all the talk of "voter fatigue" and the calls for a boycott from certain corners, roughly 85.32% of registered voters showed up. People weren't just voting; they were making a statement. You've got to wonder if the long lines at the gas pumps and the soaring price of bread had something to do with that. Basically, the "pocketbook vote" trumped the old "identity politics" that had kept the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) in power for so long.
First Round vs. The Runoff
The road to these final results was a mess. The first round on August 17 was a fragmented disaster.
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- Rodrigo Paz (PDC): 32.06%
- Tuto Quiroga (Libre): 26.70%
- Samuel Doria Medina (Unity): 19.69%
MAS, the party of Evo Morales and Luis Arce, didn't even make it to the second round. Their candidate, Eduardo del Castillo, scraped together a miserable 3.17%. It’s the kind of political collapse you usually only see in history books.
Why the Bolivia 2025 Presidential Election Final Results TSE Mattered
For years, the TSE was under a microscope. People didn't trust them. Memories of the 2019 "fraud" allegations still lingered like a bad hangover. But this time, under the leadership of Oscar Hassenteufel, the tribunal actually managed to pull off a transparent process. They were fast, too. The preliminary "quick count" was out within hours, and the final proclamation came on October 27, 2025.
The real "secret sauce" for Rodrigo Paz wasn't just his own platform of "popular capitalism." It was his running mate, Edman Lara.
If you aren't familiar with Lara, he’s a former police captain who became a TikTok sensation for calling out corruption. He brought a "law and order" energy that balanced Paz’s more technocratic, economist vibe. While Paz talked about fiscal deficits and international reserves, Lara was talking about putting corrupt officials in jail. That combo worked. It worked so well that they flipped traditional MAS strongholds in La Paz and Cochabamba.
The End of the "MAS" Era?
It’s hard to overstate how much of a shell-shock this was for the left. The MAS party, which once held two-thirds of the legislature, was reduced to just two seats in the Chamber of Deputies and zero in the Senate.
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How did it happen? Well, it was a civil war. Luis Arce and Evo Morales spent the last two years tearing each other apart. Arce decided not to run for reelection in May 2025, and Morales was legally barred from the ballot. Instead of uniting, the party imploded. Morales even called for his followers to cast null ballots.
Interestingly, the TSE reported about 1.3 million null and blank votes in the first round. That’s a huge number, but it wasn't enough to stop the shift to the right. By the time the runoff happened, even the most die-hard evistas seemed to realize that the era of "the process of change" had stalled out.
What Happens Now?
Rodrigo Paz took office on November 8, 2025, and he’s inherited a nightmare. Bolivia is currently dealing with its worst economic crisis in forty years.
- Inflation is sitting around 18-25% depending on who you ask.
- Foreign reserves are almost gone.
- The dollar shortage has made it nearly impossible for small businesses to import goods.
Paz's "Capitalism for All" plan is a big gamble. He wants to move away from state-centered spending and give more power to regional governments (the 50-50 split). He’s also promised low-interest loans for the 80% of Bolivians who work in the informal economy—the street vendors, the mechanics, the people who actually keep the country running.
But here is the kicker: he doesn't have a majority in Congress. His party, the PDC, has 49 seats. He needs 66 for a majority. He's going to have to make deals with Tuto Quiroga’s bloc and Samuel Doria Medina’s supporters just to get his budget passed.
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Actionable Insights for Following the New Administration
If you’re watching the aftermath of the bolivia 2025 presidential election final results tse, here are the three things you need to keep an eye on to see if this "new era" actually works:
- The Subsidy Battle: Watch what Paz does with fuel subsidies. If he cuts them to save the budget, the social movements will be back on the streets within a week. If he keeps them, the country might go broke. It’s a classic "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation.
- The Morales Warrant: There is still an outstanding arrest warrant for Evo Morales. How the new government handles this will determine if the rural heartlands remain peaceful or erupt into another round of blockades.
- The "Lara" Factor: Keep an eye on Vice President Edman Lara. He’s already said he’ll "confront" Paz if the new president doesn't deliver on his anti-corruption promises. This is not a traditional political marriage; it's a partnership of convenience that could get messy.
The 2025 results aren't just a change in leadership; they are a total reboot of the Bolivian state. Whether Paz can actually stabilize the currency and fix the gas shortages is still an open question, but for the first time in twenty years, the TSE has handed the keys to someone outside the "Blue" MAS circle.
Keep a close eye on the official OEP (Órgano Electoral Plurinacional) portal for the specific departmental breakdowns. The shift in places like Potosí and Chuquisaca, which once voted 60%+ for the left and now sit firmly in the center-right column, provides the roadmap for how Paz won and how he might lose if he doesn't fix the economy fast.
To stay updated on the transition, follow the official legislative sessions in the Plurinational Legislative Assembly. The first major test for the new government will be the passage of the "Emergency Economic Recovery Act" expected in early 2026. Monitoring the coalition-building between the PDC and the LIBRE alliance in these sessions will be the most accurate indicator of the new administration's stability.