2025 Bolivian general election

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2025 Bolivian general election
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Presidential election
17 August 2025 (first round)
19 October 2025 (second round)
Turnout86.95% (first round) Decrease 1.47pp
85.32% (second round) Decrease 1.63pp
 
Nominee Rodrigo Paz Jorge Quiroga
Party PDC Independent
Alliance – Libre
Running mate Edmand Lara Juan Pablo Velasco
Popular vote 3,519,534 2,884,661
Percentage 54.96% 45.04%
President before election

Luis Arce
MAS-IPSP

 Elected President

Rodrigo Paz
PDC

Chamber of Deputies
17 August 2025
All 130 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
66 seats needed for a majority
Party Seats +/–
PDC 49
Libre 39
Unity 26 New
AP 8 New
APB Súmate 5 New
MAS-IPSP 2 −73
BIA-YUQUI 1 +1
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Chamber of Senators
17 August 2025
All 36 seats in the Chamber of Senators
19 seats needed for a majority
Party Vote % Seats +/–
PDC 32.15 16
Libre 26.68 12
Unity 19.85 7 New
APB Súmate 6.64 1 New
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

General elections were held in Bolivia on 17 August 2025 to elect the president, vice president, and all members of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly. Incumbent president Luis Arce of the ruling Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS-IPSP) did not seek reelection, amid internal party divisions and widespread dissatisfaction over shortages of essential goods. No candidate secured a majority in the presidential election, leading to a runoff on 19 October 2025 between Senator Rodrigo Paz of the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) and former president Jorge Quiroga of Libre. Paz won with 55.0% of the vote, marking the first time in Bolivian history that the presidency changed hands through a runoff election and ending two decades of MAS dominance. Incumbent party MAS suffered near total annihilation, retaining only two seats in the Chamber of Deputies and losing all seats in the Senate.[1]

The election was held amid a schism within the ruling Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) between incumbent president Luis Arce and former president Evo Morales. The former allies fell out after Arce's election in 2020, when Morales—returning from exile following the political unrest triggered by his contested reelection bid—sought to regain control of the party.[2] Public dissatisfaction with the Arce government was further spurred by shortages of essential goods like gasoline, diesel, food, and medicine in late 2024 and early 2025.[3][4]

Morales announced his intention to run as the candidate of the Front for Victory (FPV), despite a ban from the Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal on his running for president again.[5] The government subsequently deregistered the FPV, citing its failure to meet the mandatory 3% threshold in the previous election.[6] In reaction to being barred from the race, Morales called for a boycott of the vote. From a rural compound guarded by supporters,[7] he promised to mobilize his supporters and "give battle on the streets" if a right-wing candidate won.[8] Right-wing figures like Jorge Quiroga vowed to arrest Morales if they won, leading rural coca unions such as the Six Federations to pledge a guerrilla war in his defense.[9]

On 14 May 2025, President Arce announced he would not seek a second term.[10][11] The MAS nominated government minister Eduardo Del Castillo in his place. Two days later, on 16 May, demonstrators attempting to register Morales as a candidate clashed with police in La Paz.[12][13]

Meanwhile, right-leaning parties formed a Unity Bloc to oppose the MAS; its candidates included Samuel Doria Medina and Jorge Quiroga. Several candidates, including Quiroga and Chi Hyun Chung, registered their campaigns using minor party labels, such as the Revolutionary Left Front (FRI) and the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR), despite the historical ideological differences between these parties and the candidates.[14]

Electoral system

Approximately 7.9 million people were eligible to vote in the 2025 election.[15]

The President is elected through a modified two-round system. A candidate wins outright in the first round by receiving either more than 50% of the vote, or at least 40% of the vote and a lead of 10 percentage points over the nearest rival.[16] If neither condition is met, a run-off is held between the top two candidates.[17]

The 130 members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected through a mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) system with two votes:

  • 63 deputies are elected by first-past-the-post in single-member districts.[citation needed]
  • 60 deputies are elected by party-list proportional representation from closed lists on a departmental basis, using a 3% electoral threshold.[18] These list seats are allocated to parties proportionally based on the presidential vote, subtracting the seats they won in single-member districts to ensure overall proportionality.
  • 7 deputies are reserved for indigenous representatives and elected by usos y costumbres (customary law). A voter may only vote in one type of constituency (coexistence).[19]
  • Electoral rules mandate gender parity: party lists must alternate between men and women. For single-member districts, a male candidate must have a female alternate, and vice versa, ensuring that women hold at least 50% of these seats.[citation needed]
  • The 36 members of the Chamber of Senators—four from each of the nine departments—are elected from closed party lists using the D'Hondt method.[19] Senate seats are also awarded based on the presidential vote.

This election uses a form of the double simultaneous vote, meaning a single vote is used to elect the President (first round), Deputies, and Senators simultaneously. Consequently, voters cannot split their ticket between the executive and legislative branches, though they can vote for a different party in the single-member deputy district elections.[citation needed]

Voting is compulsory for all citizens over 18. Voters receive a card as proof of participation, which is required to withdraw one's salary from a bank for three months following the election.[20] This compulsory voting is linked to a relatively high rate of invalid ballots,[21] a factor often reflected in poll percentages for "would not vote."

Candidates

Candidacy Parties and
alliances		 Presidential candidate Experience Vice Presidential candidate
AP
List
  • Third System Movement (MTS)
  • Socialist Revolutionary Party (PSR)
  • Autonomist Movement for Work and Stability (MATE)
Andrónico Rodríguez
(age 37)		 President of the Chamber of Senators (2020–2025)
Senator for Cochabamba (2020–2025)		 Mariana Prado
LYP-ADN
List
 Pavel Aracena
(age 56)		 Engineer Victor Hugo Núñez del Prado
APB Súmate Manfred Reyes Villa
(age 71)		 Mayor of Cochabamba (1994–2000, 2021–present)
Prefect of Cochabamba (2006–2008)
Presidential candidate in 2002 and 2009		 Juan Carlos Medrano
Libre Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga
(age 65)		 62nd President of Bolivia (2001–2002)
36th Vice President of Bolivia (1997–2001)
Minister of Finance (1992)
Presidential candidate in 2005 and 2014		 Juan Pablo Velasco
FP
List
 Jhonny Fernández
(age 62)		 Mayor of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (1995–2002, 2021–present)
Presidential candidate in 2002		 Rosa Huanca
MAS-IPSP Eduardo Del Castillo
(age 37)		 Minister of Government (2020–2025) Milan Berna
Unidad
List
 Samuel Doria Medina
(age 67)		 Minister of Planning and Coordination (1991–1993)
Presidential candidate in 2005, 2009 and 2014		 José Luis Lupo
PDC Rodrigo Paz
(age 58)		 Senator for Tarija (2020–2025)
Mayor of Tarija (2015–2020)
Deputy for Tarija (2002–2009)		 Edmand Lara

Withdrew

Candidacy Parties and
alliances		 Presidential candidate Experience Vice Presidential candidate Withdrawal date
NGP
List
  • New Patriotic Generation (NGP)
Fidel Tapia None Edgar Uriona Veizaga 26 June 2025[22]
MORENA Eva Copa
(age 39)		 Mayor of El Alto (2021–present)
President of the Chamber of Senators (2019–2020)
Senator for La Paz (2015–2020)		 Jorge Richter 28 July 2025[23]

Disqualified candidates

The following notable individuals were the subject of speculation or declared their intention to run but were declared ineligible by the Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal (TCP) or were otherwise unable to register as candidates.

Declined to run

The following notable individuals were the subject of speculation about a potential candidacy but publicly declined to run:

Campaign

The campaign was marked by the first televised debate in 20 years, following a ban imposed during Evo Morales's presidency. The debates featured sharp exchanges, including Samuel Doria Medina's accusations that Eduardo del Castillo had links to drug traffickers and del Castillo's criticism of Doria Medina's past electoral failures. Andrónico Rodríguez and Jorge Quiroga also clashed over alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings.[15]

Candidate platforms

The right-leaning candidates, Samuel Doria Medina and Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga, presented similar platforms focused on economic liberalization and a foreign policy re-alignment. Both pledged to:

  • Arrest former president Evo Morales.[39][40]
  • Restore diplomatic relations with the United States and Israel.[41]
  • Cut public spending and eliminate fuel subsidies.[42][40]
  • Partially reverse the nationalizations under Morales and attract foreign investment, particularly for lithium mining.[39][42]
  • Dismantle inefficient state-owned companies.[42]

Doria Medina specifically promised to resolve fuel shortages within his first 100 days, a goal reflected in his campaign slogan, "100 days, dammit!"—a phrase he used after surviving a 2005 plane crash.[40][43] He also pledged to maintain anti-poverty programs.[44]

Quiroga proposed a more radical economic overhaul, praising Argentine president Javier Milei's libertarian policies. His proposals included:

  • Closing the Central Bank of Bolivia, which he accused of being a "credit card" for the Arce administration.[42]
  • Establishing a "popular property title" valued at $1,500 for every adult Bolivian to use as loan collateral.[41]
  • Seeking a $12 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund.[41]
  • A "liberal ownership revolution" to replace collective Indigenous land titles with individual, inheritable rights.[45]
  • Canceling lithium agreements with Russia and China signed under Arce.[46]
  • Distancing Bolivia from Iran and withdrawing recognition of Nicolás Maduro as president of Venezuela.[45]

Rodrigo Paz campaigned on a platform of "Capitalism for All",[47] which included:

  • A "50–50 economic model" where half of public funds would be managed by regional governments.[41]
  • Cutting $1.2 billion in fuel subsidies while retaining assistance for schoolchildren and the elderly.[46][48]
  • Using blockchain for transparency and creating a currency stabilization fund that incorporates cryptocurrency.[41]
  • Opposing Doria Medina's proposals for foreign lithium investment and IMF loans.[47]

The MAS candidate, Eduardo del Castillo, campaigned under the slogan "We Are a National Option with Authentic Ideas,"[15] while his party colleague Andrónico Rodríguez ran on a platform of "Unity for All" and also supported cutting fuel subsidies.[15][49]

Environmental and post-first round dynamics

On environmental policy, both Paz and Quiroga supported using carbon bonds. Quiroga advocated for expanding biofuel production and soy and cattle farming in eastern Bolivia, while Paz pledged to crack down on illegal gold mining and regulate agricultural fires.[50]

After being barred from the election, Evo Morales called the vote illegitimate, labeled Rodríguez a "traitor", and urged his supporters to cast null ballots. He claimed that if null votes exceeded the winning candidate's share - a situation that eventually did not materialize, as both candidates who advanced to the runoff exceeded the null vote share - it would represent a victory for him.[40][51]

Following the first round, Samuel Doria Medina endorsed Rodrigo Paz for the runoff.[52]

Opinion polls

Runoff

Polling firm Fieldwork date Sample size Blank vote Void vote Undecided
Quiroga
Libre		 Paz
PDC
Ipsos CIESMORI/UNITEL[53] 6–9 Oct 2,500 44.9 36.5 3.7 5.6 9.3
Captura Consulting/Red Uno[54][55] 3–7 Oct 2,560 42.9 38.7 2.6 5.8 10.0
CB Consultora Opinión Pública[56] 1–6 Oct 1,028 44.4 36.2 12.1 7.3
Ipsos CIESMORI/UNITEL[57][58] 18–21 Sep 2,500 47.0 39.3 3.5 4.7 5.5

First round

Local regression of polls conducted for the first round

After registration of candidacies

Polling firm Fieldwork date Sample size Blank vote Void vote Undecided
Medina
Unity		 Quiroga
Libre		 Paz
PDC		 Rodríguez
AP		 Manfred
APB Súmate		 Castillo
MAS		 Fernández
FP		 Aracena
LYP-ADN		 Copa
MORENA		 Tapia
NGP
AtlasIntel[59] 11–13 Aug 1,916 18.0 22.3 7.5 11.4 4.0 8.1 2.6 3.1 – – 14.6 8.4
Ipsos CIESMORI/UNITEL[60] 2–6 Aug 2,500 21.2 20.0 8.3 5.5 7.7 1.5 2.0 0.5 0.2 – 5.2 14.6 13.3
SPIE/El Deber[61] 31 Jul – 4 Aug 2,500 23.6 24.5 9.1 8.5 8.8 1.8 2.4 0.3 0.2 – 9.9 5.7 5.1
Captura Consulting/Red Uno[62][63] 27 Jul – 3 Aug 2,500 21.6 20.0 6.4 7.2 9.7 2.0 2.0 0.7 0.4 – 5.0 10.6 14.4
SPIE/El Deber[64] 25–28 Jul 2,500 24.5 22.9 7.6 7.4 7.2 2.1 1.7 0.4 1.0 – 12.1 7.4 5.5
Ipsos CIESMORI/UNITEL[65] 25–27 Jul 2,500 21.5 19.6 4.3 6.1 8.3 2.1 1.8 0.3 0.4 – 8.1 13.6 12.4
SPIE/El Deber[66] 5–10 Jul 2,500 21.8 20.7 4.0 8.3 10.0 1.9 2.5 0.4 1.1 4.8 14.8 4.5 5.3
Ipsos CIESMORI/UNITEL[67] 5–7 Jul 2,500 18.7 18.1 3.2 11.8 8.2 2.3 2.5 0.2 0.6 2.4 8.2 12.5 11.3
Captura Consulting/Red Uno-Cadena A[68][69] 10–20 Jun 2,500 19.6 16.6 6.4 13.7 8.8 1.4 3.8 – 1.1 0.7 5.0 7.4 15.5
SPIE/El Deber[70] 7–14 Jun 2,500 24.0 22.1 5.6 14.7 9.4 1.7 2.6 0.6 1.4 0.7 9.8 4.5 3.0
Ipsos CIESMORI/UNITEL[71] 22–26 May 2,500 19.1 18.4 4.3 14.2 7.9 2.3 3.7 0.5 1.7 1.0 6.5 10.5 10.0

Before registration of candidacies

Source Date Sample Link Morales
EVO Pueblo		 Quiroga
FRI		 Manfred
APB Súmate		 Rodríguez
MAS		 Medina
UN		 Chung
AMAR		 Arce
MAS		 Choquehuanca
MAS		 Cuellar
Cambio25		 Others Null Blank Undecided Lead
15 May 2025 Bolivia's United Nations delegation announces its nomination of David Choquehuanca as UN Secretary-General.[72]
14 May 2025 Bolivia constitutional court upholds ruling blocking Evo Morales' election eligibility.[73]
13 May 2025 Luis Arce withdraws his candidacy for re-election.[10]
Panterra 30 March 2025 5,000 [74] – 15% 11% 25% 16% 13% – – – – – 20% 9%
Captura Consulting 27 March 2025 1,500 [75] – 16% 13% 18% 17% 11% 1% – – 4% – 14% 1%
8 March 2025 Vicente Cuellar withdraws his candidacy, endorsing Doria Medina.[76]
26 February 2025 Luis Arce announces his candidacy pending final decision from MAS.[28]
20 February 2025 Evo Morales announces his intention to run for president.[77]
UAGRM 14 February 2025 2,200 [78] 14% 8% 15% 10% 10% 14% 2% – 1% 4% – 7% 1%
Captura Consulting 23 Jan – 7 Feb – [79] 8% 19% 13% – 16% 13% 2% – – 9% – 19% 3%
Bolivia360 5–21 Jan 2025 2,000 [80] – 9% 15% 16% 8% 13% 2% – 2% 7% _ 8% 1%
Diagnosis 11–12 Jan 2025 1,800 [81] 9% 10% 15% 10% 9% 5% 7% 2% 3% 13% 5% 10% 2%
5 January 2025 Manfred Reyes Villa announces his candidacy.[82]

2021–2024

Date Polling firm Morales
MAS		 Mesa
CC		 Rodríguez
MAS		 Galindo
Ind.		 Manfred
Súmate		 Arce
MAS		 Chi Hyun
Ind.		 Camacho
Creemos		 Quiroga
Libre 21		 Copa
Ind.		 Medina
UN		 Cuellar
Cambio25		 Soliz
PDC		 Claure
Ind.		 Lara
NIL		 Paz
CC		 Choquehuanca
MAS		 Undecided Lead
15 November 2024 Consultora Morris – 1% 25% – 35% 12% 1% 6% 14% – 2% 0.8% – – – 0.2% – – 10%
2–15 Nov 2024 Panterra 17% 6% – – 18% 4% – 9% 9% – 13% – – – – – 21% 1%
Sep 2024 Diagonsis 10% 8% 10% – 10% 16% – 4% – – 4% 9% – – – 3% 9% 6%
Jun 2024 Captura Consulting – 6% 13% 10% 13% – 6% 10% 4% – 9% 5% – – 3% – 19% 0
May 2024 Diagnosis 9% 9% 7% 5% 19% – 3% – – 2% 7% – – – – – 10% 12%
Apr 2024 Coolosa Comunicaciones 7.73% 7.52% 0.79% 5.80% 11.06% 8.79% – 1.71% 3.86% 1.25% 5.95% 10.77% 1.29% – 5.04% 2.82% – 4.22% 0.83%
16–17 Mar 2024 Diagnosis 12% 10% 7% – 2% 17% – 2% – – 4% 9% – – – – – 5%
15 March 2024 Captura Consulting – 8% 11% 7% 12% 16% 2% 7% – – 9% 3% – 7% – – 18% 4%
Nov 2023 Diagnosis 11% 12% – – 3% 21% – 4% – – 5% 9% – – – – 12% 9%
9–10 Sep 2023 Diagnosis 9% 11% – – 4% 18% – 4% – – 6% 9% – – – – 14% 7%
19–20 Aug 2023 Diagnosis 10% 13% 3% – 3% 14% – 2% – – 4% 6% – – – – 18% 1%
Aug 2023 Poder y Placer 11% 10% – 6% 8% 12% – 9% – 2% 9% 3% – 4% – 1% 24% 1%
8–9 Jul 2023 Diagnosis 9% 13% – – 3% 14% – 2% – – 4% 6% – – – – – 1%
22 May-22 Jun 2023 Poder y Placer 12% 13% – 10% 4% 17% – 1% 2% 8% 13% 1% – 3% 1% 2% – 4%
29 Dec 2022-19 Jan 2023 Poder y Placer 11% 19% – 2% 9% 21% – 13% – – 19% – – 13% – – 7% 2%
Jul 2022 Captura Consulting 11% 11% – – – 18% – 8% 5% 3% 3% – – – – – – 7%
9–19 Apr 2022 Captura Consulting 11% 11% – – 10% 17% – 15% 7% 5% 4% – 3% – – – 20% 2%
Dec 2021 Captura Consulting – 13% – – 12% 23% – 15% 3% – 7% – – – – – 8%

Conduct

Voting for the first round took place on 17 August 2025, with polls open from 08:00 to 16:00.[83]

The day was marked by several security incidents. In Chapare Province, former president Evo Morales cast a null ballot while being protected by a human chain of coca growers' union members, who were shielding him from a potential arrest.[1]

In Entre Ríos, Cochabamba, Andrónico Rodríguez was targeted by a mob that threw stones at him as he went to vote, requiring a soldier to escort him.[84] Rodríguez blamed the attack on "a small group of extremists identified as supporters of Morales."[85] An explosive device was later detonated at the same polling station, though it caused no significant damage or injuries.[86]

Results

The first-round results ended two decades of left-wing dominance in Bolivia and produced the country's first-ever presidential runoff,[87] defying pre-election polls.[1][85] In a surprise outcome, centrist Rodrigo Paz led with 32.06% of the vote, followed by conservative Jorge Quiroga Ramírez with 26.70%, while Samuel Doria Medina (19.69%) was eliminated.[85] True to his pledge to back the leading candidate if defeated, Doria Medina endorsed Paz for the runoff.[88] Altogether, right-leaning candidates obtained more than 68% of the vote.

The ruling Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) suffered a historic setback. Its nominees, Andrónico Rodríguez (8.51%) and Eduardo del Castillo (3.17%), failed to reach the second round—marking the party's first presidential loss in twenty years.[87] MAS was nearly wiped out in Congress, losing all 21 Senate seats and retaining only two of its 75 in the Chamber of Deputies.[89] The election also saw an unusually high protest vote, with invalid and blank ballots exceeding 20% of the total.[90] Former president Evo Morales, who had urged supporters to cast null votes after his exclusion from the race, hailed the result as a symbolic victory.[91][85]

The presidential runoff took place on 19 October 2025.[92] Preliminary results released after 21:00 local time showed Rodrigo Paz winning with 54.53% of the vote against Jorge Quiroga's 45.47%.[93] Quiroga conceded several hours later,[94] acknowledging Paz's victory and calling on his supporters and the nation to pursue reconciliation and a peaceful transition of power.[95]

President

CandidateRunning mateParty or allianceFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Rodrigo PazEdmand LaraChristian Democratic Party1,717,43232.063,519,53454.96
Jorge QuirogaJuan Pablo VelascoLibre – Freedom and Democracy1,430,17626.702,884,66145.04
Samuel Doria MedinaJosé Luis LupoUnity Bloc1,054,56819.69
Andrónico RodríguezMariana PradoPopular Alliance456,0028.51
Manfred Reyes VillaJuan Carlos MedranoAutonomy for Bolivia – Súmate361,6406.75
Eduardo Del CastilloMilán BernaMovimiento al Socialismo169,8873.17
Jhonny FernándezRosa HuancaForce of the People89,2531.67
Pavel AracenaVíctor Hugo NúñezLiberty and Progress ADN77,5761.45
Total5,356,534100.006,404,195100.00
Valid votes5,356,53477.636,404,19594.57
Invalid votes1,371,04919.87317,8474.69
Blank votes172,8352.5049,7690.73
Total votes6,900,418100.006,771,811100.00
Registered voters/turnout7,936,51586.957,936,51585.32
Source: OEP

Chamber of Deputies

Party or allianceList (compensatory)ConstituencyIndigenousTotal
seats
Votes%SeatsVotes%SeatsVotes%Seats
Christian Democratic Party1,683,89132.15171,121,86525.85305,26612.59249
Libre – Liberty and Democracy1,397,22626.68171,192,39427.47208,25419.73239
Unity Bloc1,039,42619.8515939,03821.64118,11919.41026
Popular Alliance439,3888.395336,7357.7626,63015.8518
Autonomy for Bolivia – Súmate347,5746.645373,1038.6002,3445.6005
Movimiento al Socialismo166,9173.191209,0404.8206,38215.2612
Force of the People86,1541.65081,5861.8801,5223.6400
Liberty and Progress ADN76,3491.46086,5221.9906391.5300
Indigenous Organisation of Chiquitanía2,2665.4200
Yuqui Bia Recuate Indigenous Council4120.9811
Total5,236,925100.00604,340,283100.006341,834100.007130
Valid votes5,236,92577.794,340,28365.3041,83450.05
Invalid votes1,325,59619.691,244,72818.7315,87618.99
Blank votes169,3272.521,062,02815.9825,87830.96
Total votes6,731,848100.006,647,039100.0083,588100.00
Registered voters/turnout7,567,20788.967,567,20787.8494,87188.11
Source: OEP, OEP

Chamber of Senators

Party or allianceVotes%Seats
Christian Democratic Party1,683,89132.1516
Libre – Liberty and Democracy1,397,22626.6812
Unity Bloc1,039,42619.857
Popular Alliance439,3888.390
Autonomy for Bolivia – Súmate347,5746.641
Movimiento al Socialismo166,9173.190
Force of the People86,1541.650
Liberty and Progress ADN76,3491.460
Total5,236,925100.0036
Valid votes5,236,92577.79
Invalid votes1,325,59619.69
Blank votes169,3272.52
Total votes6,731,848100.00
Registered voters/turnout7,567,20788.96
Source: OEP, OEP

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References

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