Centrist senator Rodrigo Paz won Bolivia’s presidency on Sunday, preliminary results showed, 54% to Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga’s 45%, a lead the electoral tribunal called irreversible. In a jubilant La Paz ballroom, Paz vowed “solutions” and “winds of change,” while Quiroga conceded and urged calm amid jeers from supporters. Paz rode anger over a deepening economic crisis and fatigue with two decades of MAS rule; he plans gradual shifts — ending the fixed exchange rate, phasing out fuel subsidies — while shunning the IMF. He inherits dollar shortages, 23% inflation and fuel lines that stretch for days.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.