BUENOS AIRES, August 18. /TASS/. Senator Rodrigo Paz Pereira and former Bolivian President (2001-2002) Jorge Quiroga have made it to the second round of the country's presidential elections, according to the vote count data announced by the Supreme Electoral Court (SEC).
"The Christian Democratic Party gained 32.08%, the Freedom and Democracy Party - 26.94%, and the Unity Party - 19.93%," a SEC representative said at a press conference after more than 90% of the protocols had been preliminarily processed.
Entrepreneur Samuel Doria Medina, who was nominated by the National Unity Front and was considered one of the favorites, admitted his defeat.
"I promise to support any initiative that will help the country emerge from the crisis," he said, speaking to his supporters after the announcement of the first results. The second round of elections will be held on October 19.
Paz Pereira of the centrist Christian Democratic Party, according to polls, was not among the leaders of the election race. The son of former President Jaime Paz Zamora (1989-1993), he advocates decentralization of the country, the introduction of an affordable loan program, as well as the reduction of taxes and duties. The politician advocates further integration of the country with the South American Common Market (Mercosur), as well as more active development of relations with other countries, primarily Brazil and the United States. In 2024, he criticized the government of President Luis Arce for its ties with Russia and Iran.
Quiroga, running for the right-wing coalition Freedom and Democracy, was one of the two favorites before the elections. He opposed maintaining relations with Cuba, Venezuela and Iran, criticized Russia's influence in Venezuela and allowed for the possibility of reconsidering relations with BRICS, although at the same time he advocated developing relations with China and India. Quiroga also stated his desire to leave Mercosur, which he called a "prison of duties". In domestic policy, Quiroga intends to carry out a strict adjustment of government spending to reduce the budget deficit and privatize state-owned companies. The candidate also advocates reform of the justice system and the constitution. Quiroga promised to cancel contracts for lithium projects, including an agreement with Uranium One, a subsidiary of Russia’s Rosatom, if they are ratified by the current parliament.