Al Jazeera reports that Bolivia’s presidential run-off between two pro-market candidates has concluded, marking the end of nearly 20 years of socialist rule and raising the possibility of a realignment toward the United States.
Polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. local time (12:00 GMT) on Sunday and closed at 4:00 p.m. (20:00 GMT). Initial results are expected within hours, with a formal decision expected by Thursday.
The vote pitted conservative former interim president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, 65, against centrist senator and economist Rodrigo Paz, 58, the son of leftist former president Jaime Zamora.
Opinion polls showed Quiroga in a close race with a narrow lead.
The two pledged to overhaul Bolivia’s crisis-hit economy and restore ties with the United States after years of tense and often hostile relations under Evo Morales and his left-wing successor, outgoing President Luis Arce.
The divided ruling Movement for Socialism (MAS) has been unable to advance its candidates to a run-off, marking the end of its leadership. Support for MAS, which has dominated Bolivian politics since Morales first came to power in 2006, all but collapsed in the first round of voting in August.
MNA