BUENOS AIRES, October 20. /TASS/. Former Bolivian President Jorge Quiroga (2001-2002) congratulated his rival Rodrigo Paz on his victory in the second round of the presidential election.
"I called Rodrigo Paz. I congratulated him," Quiroga told his supporters.
The former head of state noted that his team had received reports of violations during the vote count. He intends to monitor the consideration of all appeals but acknowledges the election results. "We cannot create even more problems for Bolivia when people are suffering. <...> We do not consider it possible to add political complications to these economic hardships," he said. When he mentioned conceding defeat, the audience responded with angry shouts, but Quiroga asked his supporters to calm down.
Paz, from the centrist Christian Democratic Party, won 54.54% of the vote, Quiroga, representing the right-wing Liberty and Democracy alliance, garnered 45.46%, according to preliminary count results.
Earlier, at a press conference, Supreme Electoral Tribunal President Oscar Hassenteufel said that although the results are preliminary, "the trend is irreversible."
Paz proposes decentralizing the economy by redistributing tax revenues to regions and municipalities, introducing an affordable loan program, and providing tax breaks to support small and medium-sized businesses. He advocates for Bolivia to strengthen its ties with the rest of the world by prioritizing the restoration of relations with the US and developing regional cooperation within the South American Common Market (Mercosur).
The president-elect will take office on November 8.