In Bolivia’s first round general election on Aug. 17, the ruling Movement Toward Socialism party, known by its Spanish acronym MAS, only won 3 percent of the vote. That means that in the 130-seat lower house of Congress, the party that has dominated Bolivian politics for almost two decades will be reduced from 75 seats down to just one. They will have no seats in the Senate. The second-round runoff for the presidency that will be held on Oct. 19 will see two candidates face off—Rodrigo Paz and Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga—who represent different factions of the MAS’ opponents. Incumbent President Luis Arce must now preside over a second-round election that his party has already decisively lost. The MAS was defeated, but the Bolivian election and transition of power are not yet done.
As journalist Thomas Graham explained in a pre-election essay, MAS imploded because the party had become unpopular due to the ongoing economic crisis, perceptions of corruption and a general fatigue after 20 years in power. They were on track to lose this election even if they had remained unified. That said, internal rifts ensured their defeat. The official candidate of the MAS, Eduardo del Castillo, was announced late in the campaign after Arce declined to run for reelection.
Castillo was opposed by former President Evo Morales, who is facing an arrest warrant on charges of statutory rape and is hiding in the mountains as a fugitive, but who insisted that he be allowed to run despite numerous court rulings denying his eligibility. In protest, Morales called on his supporters to refuse to vote or spoil their ballots. Separately, Senate President Andronico Rodriguez, once considered a political heir of Morales, split from the MAS and ran with a separate party.