Presidential elections were held in Bolivia on August 17, 2025. The results reflected a rightward shift and a sharp fragmentation of the progressive bloc, which had governed the country for nearly two decades.
The Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), led by President Luis Arce, suffered a historic defeat. Its candidate, Eduardo del Castillo, barely garnered around 3% of the vote, highlighting the loss of support from the ruling party.
Former President Evo Morales, disqualified by the Constitutional Court, called on his supporters to vote spoiled in protest. This call increased the spoiled and blank vote to nearly 19%, a decisive factor in the outcome.
Andrónico Rodríguez, who ran as an independent candidate from the MAS and sought to capitalize on discontent within the left, obtained around 8% of the vote.
Together, the MAS, Rodríguez, and spoiled votes reached approximately 30% of the electorate. However, the lack of unity and the absence of a single candidate reduced the left's competitiveness against the right.
The two candidates who advanced to the second round were Rodrigo Paz, from the center-right, with around 32%, and Jorge Quiroga, from the right, with around 27%. Thus, the left was eliminated from the decisive race.
Morales's decision to promote the null vote was based on the claim that no candidate represented the "process of change" that began in 2006. He pointed out that the Arce government had strayed from the historical principles of the MAS and that its exclusion from the electoral race was a political maneuver.
Analysts point out that the Bolivian experience illustrates the risk of fragmentation: while the left dispersed its forces and votes, the right managed to consolidate and advance united to the second round.
Sources cited:
1) El País. *Bolivia turns right*. https://elpais.com/america/opinion/2025-08-18/bolivia-gira-a-la-derecha.html
2) Reuters. *Bolivia heads to runoff after right turn in presidential vote*. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/bolivia-heads-runoff-after-right-turn-presidential-vote-2025-08-18/
3) The Guardian. *Two decades of leftwing dominance end in Bolivia as rightwingers head to election runoff*. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/18/bolivia-presidential-election-preliminary-results