Crisis-hit Bolivia to vote in run-off election, ending decades of socialism

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Bolivians are acceptable to caput to the polls to take betwixt 2 pro-market candidates successful a statesmanlike run-off that marks the extremity of astir 2 decades of socialist regularisation and the commencement of a apt realignment towards the United States.

The vote connected Sunday pits blimpish erstwhile interim President Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, 65, against centrist Senator and economist Rodrigo Paz, the 58-year-old lad of the erstwhile left-wing President Jaime Zamora.

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Both men person promised to overhaul Bolivia’s crisis-hit system and reconstruct the narration with the US aft years of tense, often hostile ties nether the left-wing governments of Evo Morales and his successor, outgoing President Luis Arce.

FOR BRIAN OSGOOD Rodrigo Paz stands connected signifier astatine a rally with supporters arsenic tiny fireworks spell disconnected to either side

The governing Movement Towards Socialism enactment (MAS), racked by division, has failed to beforehand a campaigner to the run-off election, meaning its enactment is slated to travel to an end. Support for MAS, which has dominated Bolivian authorities since Morales archetypal took powerfulness successful 2006, each but collapsed successful the archetypal circular of voting successful August.

The vote comes arsenic the nation of 11 cardinal faces its astir superior economical situation successful decades. Inflation has surged supra 20 percent, the state is abbreviated connected substance and dollars, and agelong queues astatine petrol stations person go a regular reality.

Polls amusement a choky race, with Quiroga holding a constrictive lead. Voting stations unfastened astatine 8am section clip (12:00 GMT) and volition adjacent astatine 4pm (20:00 GMT), with archetypal results expected 5 hours later.

‘Situation is terrible’

Once South America’s fastest-growing economy, Bolivia has astir depleted its overseas currency reserves aft years of dense subsidies and underinvestment successful its state industry.

“The concern is terrible, we don’t cognize what’s going to happen. Everything is precise expensive,” Felicidad Flores, a 67-year-old thoroughfare vendor successful La Paz, told the AFP quality agency. “I anticipation it doesn’t spell up more.”

Driver Javier Quispe, 40, sitting successful his motortruck successful a kilometre-long substance queue successful the city, told the bureau that Bolivians were “worse disconnected than before”. “There isn’t overmuch anticipation that things volition change,” helium said.

For many, the run-off signals a instrumentality to the market-friendly policies of the 1990s – an epoch that brought some economical opening and heavy inequality.

“This predetermination marks a governmental turning point,” said Glaeldys Gonzalez Calanche, an expert for the International Crisis Group, told the Reuters quality agency. Regardless of who wins, “Bolivia is heading successful a caller direction,” she said.

Analyst Daniela Osorio of the German Institute for Global and Area Studies told AFP that Bolivians’ patience was “running out”.

Once the predetermination is over, she warned, “if the victor does not instrumentality measures to assistance the astir vulnerable, this could pb to a societal uprising”.

Contrasting visions

Both candidates person outlined antithetic versions of reform.

Quiroga, who governed concisely from 2001 to 2002, has promised “radical change”, proposing opening the system to planetary concern and overseas loans, and heavy cuts to nationalist spending and the closure oregon privatisation of loss-making authorities firms.

Paz advocates a slower way of “capitalism for all”, combining fiscal subject and decentralisation with continued enactment for societal programmes.

Each has projected curbing the country’s cosmopolitan substance subsidy – keeping it lone for nationalist transport – to easiness the strain connected nationalist finances.

Morales remains a player

Both candidates person courted the US for support.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said past week the ballot represented “a transformative opportunity” for bilateral ties, with some candidates seeking “stronger, amended relations with the United States” aft decades of anti-US leadership.

Yet, with neither campaigner apt to unafraid a bulk successful Congress and erstwhile person Morales inactive commanding loyal grassroots support, governing whitethorn beryllium difficult.

Morales remains a governmental subordinate contempt being the people of an apprehension warrant for quality trafficking implicit an alleged intersexual narration with a minor, an accusation helium denies. He was constitutionally barred from seeking different word but has called connected his followers to boycott the vote.

“Even weakened, Morales remains a origin of imaginable destabilisation,” said Osorio.

Nearly 8 cardinal Bolivians are eligible to vote, and information is mandatory. The victor volition instrumentality bureau connected November 8.

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