A balancing act in the Andes

Cyclical swings from far left to far right and back again seem to typify voting patterns in Latin America. And elections in the Andean nation of Bolivia – ruled for nearly 20 years by an increasingly unpopular far-left party – were expected to be no different.

Yet, on Sunday, voters upended predictions of a rightward swing. Centrist Rodrigo Paz Pereira won the most votes, putting him into an October runoff with a conservative former president, Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga.

Mr. Paz’s appeal points to a political maturing among voters for a more moderate path than the outgoing leftist government. Under the country’s first Indigenous leader, Evo Morales, poverty rates dropped from 63.5% to 33.1% between 2006 and 2018. A boom in gas and oil production supported social spending and subsidies. But Mr. Morales grew authoritarian and was ousted in 2019.

Since then, gas production has fallen and inflation has soared. Bolivians realize that reversing these trends will require sacrifice.

“We’ve all been raised on politicians’ broken promises. I’m not sure who to trust,” The Associated Press quoted one campaign rally participant as saying. On the other hand, one La Paz teacher, Carlos Blanco Casas, told Reuters: “This election feels hopeful. We need a change of direction.”

Mr. Paz’s candidacy is helped by his political outsider running mate, Edman Lara Montaño. The former police captain quit the force after publicly alleging corruption in the “high command.” According to the web news source Red Uno, the social-media-savvy Mr. Lara helped Mr. Paz “connect with an electorate demanding renewal and transparency.”

After Sunday’s poll, both Mr. Paz and Mr. Lara zeroed in on the ideals of transformation and trust. “Bolivia is not just asking for a change in government, it’s asking for a change in the political system,” Mr. Paz said.

Mr. Lara stressed that it’s “time to clean house” and have a direct connection with voters. He and Mr. Paz “walked the neighborhoods ... [and] spoke to people without intermediaries,” Mr. Lara said, distinguishing this approach from opponents who “spent fortunes on posters and TV spots.”

While it’s uncertain who will be the next president, it’s clear that Bolivians don’t want repetition, but renewal – a chant heard repeatedly at Mr. Paz’s Sunday rally.

“We want new people, new proposals, another chance,” as Paz supporter Jaqueline Cachaca told the AP.