Bolivia heads to runoff as centrist Rodrigo Paz leads, MAS party trails

Bolivia is heading toward a runoff election after centrist candidate Rodrigo Paz took the lead in the first round of voting, signaling a sharp turn away from the leftist MAS party that has dominated Bolivian politics for nearly two decades. With Paz at 32.18% and conservative former president Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga at 26.94%, no candidate crossed the 40% threshold, triggering an October 19 runoff. Left-wing MAS candidate Eduardo del Castillo secured only 3.16%, despite ex-president Evo Morales' calls for protest votes. The results suggest growing demand for political and economic change in the crisis-hit nation and may indicate a broader rightward shift across Latin America.