Paz Wins, Pivots Toward Washington Amid Crisis | JQJO

Bolivia’s president-elect Rodrigo Paz, the country’s first conservative leader in two decades, tempered celebration with hard realities after his surprise runoff win with 54.5% of the vote. He vowed to rebuild ties with Washington — welcomed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio — attract investment, and ease fuel shortages while rejecting an IMF bailout. His economic team outlined targeted cash transfers as subsidies are reworked and signaled judicial reforms that may require constitutional changes. He also reached out to Venezuela’s opposition. Scattered protests challenged the results ahead of his Nov. 8 inauguration.